ANKARA 

US President Donald Trump sharply criticized the UK’s plan to hand over the Indian Ocean’s Chagos Islands to the East African nation of Mauritius, calling it an “act of total weakness” and “great stupidity” by a NATO ally that shows vulnerability to China and Russia, who “only recognize strength.”

On his Truth Social platform, Trump said the UK is giving away extremely important land for no reason whatsoever, also calling it another national security reason why the US must acquire Greenland.

He urged Denmark and European allies to do the right thing, claiming that under his leadership, the US is now respected like never before.

Diego Garcia, the largest island in the remote Chagos Archipelago, has hosted a key joint US-UK military base since the mid-1970s, and would be part of the deal the UK has agreed to.

The UK separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965 to create the British Indian Ocean Territory and forcibly removed about 2,000 Chagossians between 1968 and 1973 for the Diego Garcia base.

After years of legal battles, UN resolutions, and an International Court of Justice opinion against UK sovereignty, the UK last May signed a deal to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while keeping a 99-year lease for the Diego Garcia base.

The UK will pay Mauritius around £101 million ($136 million) per year on average with a total estimated net cost of £3.4 billion, though critics claim much higher figures and call it a major burden on taxpayers.

There was no major public disagreement between the US and UK though early worries focused on possible Chinese influence in Mauritius. The agreement includes protections like a buffer zone and veto rights over foreign access to outer islands.

As of Jan. 20, the deal still awaits full UK ratification.

The related bill has faced delays House of Lords amendments and criticism, including islander protests. The government says the transfer safeguards the base while opponents call it an unnecessary concession.

Last year, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said if they did not agree on this deal, the legal situation would mean that they "would not be able to prevent China or any other nation" – with China carrying out joint exercises near the base – from setting up their own bases on the outer islands.

"This deal secures the operations of the joint US-UK base on Diego Garcia for generations, with robust provisions for keeping its unique capabilities intact and our adversaries out," said a British spokesperson this week.

Trump’s recent criticism stresses that giving up sovereignty even with a lease shows weakness and contradicts his focus on projecting American strength.

The base continues to operate normally with US contracts extended through 2034.