London and Washington are entering an unprecedented crisis after US President Donald Trump hinted that the US might not support the United Kingdom in a possible new conflict with Argentina over the Falkland Islands. In an interview with the GB News television channel, Trump directly linked his position to the refusal of former British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to assist the US in the military conflict with Iran. "Your country was not there to help me," the US president said, referring to London's passivity in the Strait of Hormuz crisis.
Trump's statement coincided with an extraordinary television address by Argentine President Javier Milley, who announced new sanctions against oil companies in the region and stressed that Buenos Aires would defend its claims to the islands "tooth and nail." According to information from the British media BBC (bbc.com), Trump has officially confirmed that the White House is reviewing Britain's long-standing sovereignty over the territories.
In parallel with the diplomatic shake-up, the Ministry of Defense in London has fallen into a severe financial crisis. The British army has received an emergency order to immediately stop all "non-essential" and collective military exercises on the country's territory due to a lack of funds. The decision has already led to shock resignations in the government of the new Prime Minister Burnham, including that of the War Secretary John Healy.
As reported by the newspaper The Times (thetimes.co.uk), the imposed restrictions are blocking large-scale maneuvers involving more than 90 servicemen, including a long-planned six-week exercise in Wales with Challenger 2 tanks and Apache attack helicopters. Full training will continue only for units that are due to immediately deploy on missions abroad. Military experts in front of The Sun (thesun.co.uk) described the situation as an unprecedented scandal that leaves British soldiers in a position to simply “twiddle their thumbs“ at a time of heightened global threats.