Argentina’s Milei says UN ‘looking the other way’ on Falkland Islands

Argentina steps up its Las Malvinas claim as tensions with the United Kingdom grow over offshore oil drilling.

Argentina's President Javier Milei speaks during the 81st United Nations General Assembly at United Nations Headquarters in New York City, the US, September 23, 2026 [Timothy A Clary/AFP]

Argentine President Javier Milei has accused the United Nations of “looking the other way” on Argentina’s long-standing dispute with the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands , known to Argentines as Las Malvinas.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Milei called the islands a “ national cause ” and took aim at British-backed plans to extract oil from waters Argentina claims as its own.

list 1 of 4 Why do the Falkland Islands matter to the UK and Argentina so much?

list 2 of 4 Argentina steps up legal campaign against Falkland Islands oil firms

list 3 of 4 Argentinian judge orders suspension of Falklands oil project

list 4 of 4 Argentina’s Left stages ‘March of Anger’ over Milei’s austerity measures

At the centre of the latest dispute is Sea Lion, a major oil project about 220km (140 miles) north of the islands, which Argentina considers illegal. The owners of the project, UK-based Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum, are expected to begin drilling in the coming months, with production planned for 2028.

Earlier this month, Argentina began sanctions proceedings against 60 companies and individuals linked to offshore drilling near the islands. British officials have rejected the measures, saying the Falklands have the right to develop their own natural resources.

Milei also argues the project runs counter to a 1976 UN General Assembly resolution calling on Argentina and the UK to negotiate over the sovereignty dispute and avoid unilateral action in the meantime.

“Any such activity not authorised by the Argentine Republic … constitutes an unlawful act,” Milei said on Wednesday. He said Argentina had chosen a “peaceful, practical, and effective defence” of its claim.

Along with the sanctions, his government has also announced new funding for a naval base in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina’s southernmost province, to bolster its military presence near the islands.

The Falklands are a largely self-governing UK overseas territory in the South Atlantic. Britain has administered the islands since 1833, but Argentina has long claimed sovereignty.

Argentina invaded the islands in 1982, triggering a 10-week war that ended in its surrender.

The UK says the islanders should decide their own future. In a 2013 referendum, 1,513 of 1,517 voters chose to remain a British overseas territory.

Milei rejected that argument on Wednesday. He said self-determination did not apply because the population had been “implanted by the occupying power” on disputed territory.

The forceful stance is a shift for Milei, who had previously faced criticism from opponents for paying little attention to the sovereignty dispute while pursuing closer ties with the United States.

But the political landscape has changed in recent weeks, as US President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of reconsidering Washington’s position on the islands, though he has stopped short of backing Argentina’s claim.

Milei quickly seized on the opening. Earlier this month, he declared that “winds of change” were blowing in Argentina’s favour and argued that his close relationship with Washington could help advance its case.

Milei’s opponents say he is using the issue to drum up support at home ahead of an expected re-election bid in 2027.

“It’s simply something to look good in the eyes of society or to try to shift the agenda,” Guillermo Michel, a Peronist opposition lawmaker, told Reuters.

But there is little sign so far that the strategy has moved the needle. A study by Buenos Aires-based consultancy Inteligencia Analitica found Milei’s recent televised address on the Malvinas only modestly improved his public image.

His remarks on Wednesday were also part of a much broader attack on the UN. Milei accused the organisation of failing to protect international security and human rights, calling it a “useless organisation” filled with “arrogant parasites masquerading as well-intentioned bureaucrats”.

“Those who follow the rules receive no reward for doing so, while those who break them face no repercussions whatsoever,” he said.

Milei also used the speech to underline Argentina’s close relationships with the US and Israel, saying his government was “unequivocally aligned” with the West and shared a “deep affinity of values” with both countries.

Milei accused the UN of “systematically” voting against Israel while remaining silent about abuses elsewhere. He also condemned Iran and pointed to Argentina’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a “terrorist organisation”.

随着阿根廷与英国在近海石油钻探问题上的紧张关系加剧，阿根廷加大了对马尔维纳斯群岛的主权声索力度。

2026年9月23日，阿根廷总统哈维尔·米莱在美国纽约联合国总部举行的第81届联合国大会上发表讲话。[Timothy A Clary/AFP]

阿根廷总统哈维尔·米莱指责联合国对阿根廷与英国之间关于福克兰群岛（阿根廷人称之为马尔维纳斯群岛）的长期争端“视而不见”。

米莱周三在纽约联合国大会上发表讲话，称这些岛屿是“国家事业”，并抨击了英国支持的从阿根廷声称拥有主权的水域开采石油的计划。

问题 1/4：为什么福克兰群岛对英国和阿根廷如此重要？

阿根廷加大对福克兰群岛石油公司的法律攻势（共4条，此为第2条）

阿根廷法官下令暂停福克兰群岛石油项目（共4项，此为第3项）

阿根廷左翼组织“愤怒游行”，抗议米莱的紧缩措施（共4条，此为第4条）

此次争端的焦点是“海狮”石油项目，这是一个位于群岛以北约220公里（140英里）的大型石油项目，阿根廷认为该项目非法。该项目的所有者，英国的Rockhopper Exploration公司和以色列的Navitas Petroleum公司，预计将在未来几个月内开始钻探，计划于2028年投产。

本月初，阿根廷对与福克兰群岛附近海域钻探活动有关的60家公司和个人启动了制裁程序。英国官员驳斥了这些措施，称福克兰群岛有权开发其自身的自然资源。

米莱还认为，该项目与 1976 年联合国大会的一项决议相悖，该决议呼吁阿根廷和英国就主权争端进行谈判，并在此期间避免采取单方面行动。

米莱周三表示，“任何未经阿根廷共和国授权的此类活动……均构成非法行为。” 他说，阿根廷已选择以“和平、务实和有效的方式”捍卫其主权声索。

除了制裁之外，他的政府还宣布为阿根廷最南端的火地岛省的一个海军基地提供新的资金，以加强其在岛屿附近的军事存在。

福克兰群岛是位于南大西洋的英国海外领土，实行高度自治。英国自1833年以来一直管理这些岛屿，但阿根廷长期以来一直声称对其拥有主权。

1982年，阿根廷入侵这些岛屿，引发了一场持续10周的战争，最终以阿根廷投降告终。

英国方面表示，岛民应该自己决定未来。在2013年的全民公投中，1517名选民中有1513人选择继续作为英国海外领土。

米莱周三驳斥了这一论点。他表示，自决权不适用，因为当地居民是“被占领国强加”在争议领土上的。

对于米雷来说，这种强硬立场是一种转变。此前，他曾因在寻求与美国建立更紧密关系的同时，对主权争端漠不关心而受到反对者的批评。

但近几周来，政治格局发生了变化，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普提出了重新考虑华盛顿在这些岛屿上的立场的可能性，尽管他没有明确支持阿根廷的主张。

米莱迅速抓住了这个机会。本月初，他宣称“变革之风”正吹向有利于阿根廷的方向，并声称他与华盛顿的密切关系有助于阿根廷取得进展。

米雷的对手表示，他正在利用这个问题在国内争取支持，以备战预计在 2027 年举行的连任竞选。

“这纯粹是为了在社会上博取好感，或者试图转移公众视线，”庇隆主义反对派议员吉列尔莫·米歇尔告诉路透社。

但迄今为止，几乎没有迹象表明这一策略奏效。布宜诺斯艾利斯咨询公司Inteligencia Analitica的一项研究发现，米莱最近就马尔维纳斯群岛发表的电视讲话仅略微改善了他的公众形象。

他周三的言论也是对联合国更广泛抨击的一部分。米莱指责该组织未能维护国际安全和人权，称其为“一个毫无用处的组织”，充斥着“伪装成好心官僚的傲慢寄生虫”。

他说：“遵守规则的人不会得到任何奖励，而违反规则的人却不会面临任何后果。”

米莱伊还在讲话中强调了阿根廷与美国和以色列的密切关系，称他的政府“毫不含糊地与西方保持一致”，并与这两个国家有着“深厚的价值观渊源”。

米莱指责联合国“系统性地”投票反对以色列，却对其他地方的侵犯人权行为保持沉默。他还谴责伊朗，并指出阿根廷已将伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队列为“恐怖组织”。