US President Donald Trump has said that one of the reasons why he wants to take over Greenland is Britain’s decision to cede Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
This decision by Britain has been labelled as an “act of total weakness” by the American leader – despite the fact the US praised it as a “monumental achievement” last May.
Trump made the statement as he is ramping up his claims to acquire the Arctic territory, before travelling to Davos in Switzerland for the World Economic Forum.
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The US president didn’t hold back on his platform, Truth Social, as he made several posts overnight about taking over Greenland.
Greenland belongs to Denmark, which is an ally of NATO. However, Trump has repeatedly stated his intentions on taking the territory.
“Shockingly, our ‘brilliant’ Nato Ally, the United Kingdom, is currently planning to give away the Island of Diego Garcia, the site of a vital US Military Base, to Mauritius, and to do so FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER”, Trump said, writing on the website.
“There is no doubt that China and Russia have noticed this act of total weakness. These are International Powers who only recognise STRENGTH, which is why the United States of America, under my leadership, is now, after only one year, respected like never before”, he went on.
“The UK giving away extremely important land is an act of GREAT STUPIDITY, and is another in a very long line of National Security reasons why Greenland has to be acquired”, he added.
Recently, Trump announced plans to impose extra tariffs on the UK and other European countries unless a deal is reached over Greenland.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave his warm endorsement of the handover when it was first approved, so the move will come as a huge shock to the UK government.
In May 2025, at the time of the agreement, Rubio said the US “welcomed the historic agreement”.
It went on: “This is a critical asset for regional and global security. President Trump expressed his support for this monumental achievement during his meeting with prime minister Starmer at the White House.”
On the other hand, the Tories and Reform UK have criticised the move, as they have said the deal with Mauritius should not go ahead, citing the US concerns.
Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary said that “President Trump has said what we’ve said all along – Labour’s £35bn Chagos surrender is a bad deal for Britain and bad for our national security. We’ve opposed it from day one and it’s time Starmer put the security of our country first and scrap his rotten deal.”
While Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said: “Thank goodness Trump has vetoed the surrender of the Chagos islands.”
The UK signed a £3.4bn agreement to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
However, the deal is facing significant opposition in the House of Lords.
Britain ceded control over the islands to Mauritius but leases the largest island, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there, as per the agreement.
The UK government in the past has said that the deal is a “legal necessity” and backed by the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which are part of an intelligence-sharing partnership with the UK.