The US may threaten to challenge the UK's sovereignty over the Falkland Islands if Prime Minister Andy Burnham does not increase defense spending. This is reported by The Telegrap, citing sources.
Such measures are being devised at the Pentagon as leverage to ensure NATO countries meet a new target: allocating up to 5% of GDP to defense.
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The US has threatened to reconsider its stance on Britain’s control of the Falkland Islands to push London to spend substantially more on its military, The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday, citing sources.
ΑπάντησηΔιαγραφήThe reported attempt to pressure the UK comes amid mounting disagreements between the two long-time allies over defense, Iran, and the strategically vital Chagos Islands.
The UK and Argentina have been at odds over the Falklands for almost 200 years, with the matter coming to a head when Argentina’s military junta ordered an invasion of the islands in 1982. Britain’s Margaret Thatcher dispatched a naval task force and retook them in 74 days of fighting.
The US – which backed the UK during the conflict – recognizes Britain’s de facto administration of the islands but takes no position on the competing sovereignty claims.