Why is Milei escalating Argentina’s Falklands claim now?

Argentina’s president has once again reignited the Falkland row with the UK with a new and stark warning.

Speaking in a national address, Javier Milei said that Argentina holds the claim over the Falkland Islands as represented by “the winds of change” that favored the country’s claims to the islands.

The president was referring to President Donald Trump’s recent remarks over the Falklands, suggesting that the US might reconsider its stance of neutrality on the issue.

When asked about the US position, Trump said earlier this week, “I always review every position – that’s just one of many.”

“The United States is considering this change in position because it knows that Argentina has a reliable partner, aligned with Western values, in a strategically important position that can be a valuable ally in the decades to come,” Milei said in a nationally televised speech.

During his speech, Milei also threatened to impose economic sanctions on the companies which exploit oil close to the British overseas territory.

At the center of this issue is the Sea Lion oilfield, located about 130 miles from the islands and holding an estimated 1.7 billion barrels of oil—

Under a collaborative project, Britain's Rockhopper Exploration and Israel's Navitas Petroleum plan to begin extraction within two years. According to the president, this exploration work poses a “clear and present danger,” considering it illegal.

If the companies try to start exploration work, they will face tougher sanctions. To strengthen the country’s military presence near the islands, Malvinas, he announced new funding for a naval base in the southernmost province of Tierra del Fuego.

“Argentina will not stand idly by,” Milei said. “Any further advance on the Malvinas Islands will be considered a violation of our national security.”

Speaking about the sovereignty issue, the UK government and Falkland Islands representatives emphasized that the islanders possess the right to self-determination and wish to remain British.

“Sovereignty rests with the UK and the islanders’ right to self-determination is paramount,” British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s spokesman, Tom Wells, said earlier this week.

The sovereignty issue remains highly sensitive over 40 years after the 1982 Falklands war. In the 2013 referendum, 99.8 percent of islanders voted to be a part of the British overseas territory.