The US President Donald Trump, in a new bid to annex Greenland, has reached the Indian Ocean. Earlier today, US President Donald Trump fired off a Fierce Truth Social post targeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, branding the UK’s Chagos Islands cession to Mauritius an “act of great stupidity”, reversing his earlier endorsement just months prior.
US President Donald Trump cited the UK’s handover of the Chagos Islands, home to the vital Diego Garcia US base, to Mauritius as fresh justification for acquiring Greenland.
“Shockingly, our brilliant NATO ally, the United Kingdom, is handing over Diego Garcia, a vital US military base, to Mauritius. It’s an act of great stupidity and another key national security reason why Greenland must be acquired,” Trump said on Truth Social.
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What Is The Chagos Islands Deal 2025?
Last year in May, the United Kingdom finalized a long-pending agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.
Britain retains operational control of the strategic UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the archipelago’s largest island, via a 99-year lease costing £101 million annually.
The Reversed US Tone
The US initially backed the Chagos Deal, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling the deal ‘a monumental achievement.’
Fast-forward to 2026, and Donald Trump’s changing priorities and his dream to annex Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous territory and a US NATO partner, with reasons to block Russia and China’s growing Arctic footprint.
Now targeting the UK for the same reason of growing Russian and Chinese footprints in the Chagos Island region.
“No doubt China and Russia spotted this act of total weakness. These powers only respect strength, which is why the US, under my leadership, is now respected like never before after just one year,” Trump added in his Truth Social post.
Also Read: New Delhi’s Power Play: UN’s Decline In Trump’s Global Shakeup And India’s Chance To Climb Up The Ladder | explained
The Risking Chinese Presence In The Indian Ocean?
While Trump makes absurd excuses to annex Greenland and has increased the targeting of his NATO allies over the Greenland dream, his changed tone on the UK-Mauritius deal has an underlying threat from the growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean.
The US military base on the Diego Garcia island has somehow tackled the growing Chinese presence and is strategically placed.
It is the same island from where the US launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025.
B-2 stealth bombers, comprising about 30% of the US Air Force fleet, were deployed to the Indian Ocean base ahead of the attack on facilities like Natanz and Fordow. This followed a March 2025 ultimatum from President Trump demanding a new nuclear deal, with Diego Garcia serving as a key launchpad despite its 3,700+ km distance from Iran.
Beijing’s expansion through the ‘String of Pearls’ with strategically important ports like Gwadar, Hambantota, and dual-use Seychelles/Hambantota deals heighten fears of encirclement.
Trump sees Chagos sovereignty loss as signaling weakness, inviting Chinese influence near Diego Garcia.
However, Russia conducts occasional naval deployments in the Indian Ocean, often via Mediterranean relays like Tartus (Syria), including joint exercises with China.
Though Diego Garcia’s lease remains secure, Trump’s change of tone to push his Greenland annexation bid and target the UK directly.
Trump’s Globe: From Western Hemisphere To The Indian Ocean
Trump’s Chagos criticism reveals his ambitions spanning the Western Hemisphere- Greenland tariffs on Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, UK, to Indian Ocean power projection.
Linking Arctic needs to Diego Garcia vulnerabilities pressures UK’s Starmer, justifies 10% European tariffs, and asserts US primacy across oceans amid deals India welcomed.
As the world awaits reactions from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritius, US President Donald Trump continues to advance his global strategic agenda. He is reportedly considering the acquisition of Greenland in the Western Hemisphere while simultaneously strengthening America’s presence in the Indian Ocean.
This move comes amid scrutiny of the nation’s already robust military infrastructure and appears aimed at countering the perceived expansion of Russian and Chinese influence.
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