The UK Defense Minister, Wes Streeting, has insisted that Argentina "does not have the capacity" to take control of the Falkland Islands and has emphasized that London does have sufficient means to guarantee the defense of the archipelago.
"This is not 1982. The Argentines lack the capacity to take the Falkland Islands. We have the capacity to defend them," Streeting declared in an interview granted to the British tabloid 'The Sun on Sunday'.
In his words, he criticized Argentine President Javier Milei for spreading "the same false propaganda as always" by claiming that the islands are Argentine.
"What we have seen from the President of Argentina is the same thing we hear from Argentines year after year: complaining about the Falkland Islands (Malvinas), saying that they are theirs," the Defense official pointed out. "This matter was resolved in 1982, and it remains the firm will of the inhabitants of the Falkland Islands, the vast majority of whom, as you know, choose to be British, and we support that," he emphasized.
When directly asked if the UK is in a position to militarily protect the islands in the event that Argentina sent warships, the minister answered with a blunt "Yes."
Milei reiterated last Thursday the claim of Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas during his speech before the UN General Assembly and also accused the organization of "looking the other way on the issue."
The military conflict over the islands began on April 2, 1982, when the Argentine dictatorship ordered the invasion of the archipelago. The war left 255 British military and 650 Argentine combatants dead. After just over two months of fighting and the sending of reinforcements by the UK, Argentine forces were forced to withdraw.