Milei marks war anniversary with Malvinas oil warning, renews sovereignty claim

President Javier Milei marked the anniversary of the 1982 South Atlantic war on Thursday with a vow that Argentina would respond with “all necessary diplomatic measures” to oil exploration around the Malvinas (Falkland) Islands, criticising projects promoted by the United Kingdom and foreign energy firms operating in the surrounding waters.

Speaking during a ceremony marking the Day of the Veteran and the Fallen in the Malvinas War, a national holiday in Argentina, Milei reaffirmed the longstanding sovereignty claim over the disputed islands, as well as South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and called for renewed negotiations with London.

The La Libertad Avanza leader – who has previously expressed admiration for late British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who led the UK during the conflict with Argentina in 1982 – framed the dispute as an unresolved colonial issue. 

He argued that the previous armed conflict, which claimed around 900 lives, had “not altered the legal nature of this dispute,” adding that it is recognised by the United Nations as “a special and particular colonial situation” that must be resolved through “mature and sincere dialogue” between Argentina and the United Kingdom.

“I wish to express my sincere thanks for the repeated support and statements in favour of the Malvinas issue in the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonisation, the Organisation of American States and Mercosur, among other forums. That support reaffirms the legitimacy of our claim and supports Argentina’s call to move towards a peaceful and definitive solution,” the President said.

Argentina and the United Kingdom fought a brief war in 1982 after the military government invaded the islands, which lie about 500 kilometres off the Argentine coast but have been under British control since 1833. 

British forces retook the territory after 74 days of fighting. A total of 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British service members and three islanders were killed in the conflict.

Milei pledged during his speech at the cenotaph in Plaza San Martín to improve salaries for the Armed Forces and rebuild Argentina’s military, which he says has been underfunded for years. 

He said the national government would allocate “10 percent of fiscal revenues” from the privatisation of state firms to the purchase of weapons and capital goods to “strengthen the national defence system.”

 

Oil exploration

Milei also reaffirmed Argentina’s right to the “full exercise” of the surrounding maritime areas of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, before referencing a recently announced investment by UK-based oil and gas firm Rockhopper Exploration and Israel’s Navitas Petroleum.

In late 2025, the two firms announced they would begin developing an oil field in waters north of the Malvinas Islands. 

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry issued a strong protest at the time, arguing that any unilateral exploration or exploitation of natural resources in disputed territory violates United Nations resolutions that recognise the sovereignty dispute and call on both countries to avoid unilateral actions while negotiations remain unresolved.

The Sea Lion project, located about 200 kilometres north of the territory, is considered one of the largest undeveloped offshore oil discoveries in the region, with estimates suggesting the wider field could contain up to 1.7 billion barrels of oil, making it significantly larger than some planned North Sea developments. The project is expected to begin producing oil in 2028.

In his speech Thursday, Milei said Argentina will “respond with all necessary diplomatic measures to protect its rights and defend its interests.” 

“At the same time, we act decisively in the face of unilateral and illegitimate activities that seek to advance over resources that belong to Argentines,” he declared.

Milei was accompanied by most of his government's top officials at the event, including under-fire Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni, whom the President namechecked in his speech and embraced enthusiastically for the cameras.

Vice-President Victoria Villarruel was not at the main ceremony. The Senate chief, who is at odds with Milei’s administration, travelled to Chivilcoy in Buenos Aires Province, at the invitation of the local mayor.

“The Malvinas are not an excuse for settling internal disputes within a political party,” said Villarruel in her remarks. “The Malvinas cannot be an excuse for party gatherings or the starting point for a campaign.”

 

Opposition criticism

Speaking at a ceremony in Ushuaia, in Argentina’s south, opposition Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof criticised Milei’s government, accusing it of showing “contempt for federalism and sovereignty.”

Marking the national holiday alongside regional leaders and veterans, Kicillof said the Malvinas cause “should unite all political forces, but unfortunately that is not happening today.”

The Peronist leader added that “our islands are not an issue of the past – they have to do with the present, the future and the resources that are at stake,” and insisted Argentina would continue to honour those who fought “while our islands remain usurped.”

Former foreign minister Jorge Taiana noted that Milei had adopted a more restrained tone in his Malvinas Day speech than in previous appearances, though warned that Argentina’s sovereignty claim was nevertheless at “one of its lowest points.”

Taiana argued that the issue was currently experiencing what he described as a process of “de-Malvinisation,” pointing in particular to spending cuts in education and public memory policies. He cited changes at the Malvinas Museum and broader cultural policy as examples, suggesting the issue was losing prominence in national discourse.

“The Malvinas claim is at one of its lowest points,” he said, adding that the situation represented “one of the highest points of de-Malvinisation.”

The British government considers the Falkland Islands to be a self-governing British Overseas Territory and says it will only discuss sovereignty if the islanders wish to do so. In a 2013 referendum, voters overwhelmingly backed to remain under British rule. 

Argentina rejects the referendum, arguing that the population was implanted and that the United Nations recognises the dispute as a colonial issue that must be resolved through negotiations between the two countries.

In December 2025, Milei told the British newspaper The Telegraph that he expected to travel to the United Kingdom in mid-2026. He also says he had opened talks with the UK over the lifting of arms purchase restrictions imposed on Argentina – a claim Downing Street denied.

 

‘Debt’ and ‘tribute’

During his speech, Milei addressed the salaries of the Armed Forces, noting an outstanding debt owed to those who fought for Argentina in the conflict. 

The issue was “being addressed responsibly,” said Milei, who acknowledged “there is a debt in terms of salaries with the forces.”

He said a welfare fund would be restructured through an institutional reorganisation that would “prioritise medical coverage for personnel and their families, limit administrative spending and guarantee an orderly transition.”

In a key takeaway, Milei confirmed the national government would allocate “10 percent of fiscal revenues from [state] privatisations” to the purchases that “strengthen the national defence system.”

“A country that seeks to be a protagonist on the global stage needs well-paid and well-equipped forces, in line with what the global context demands. Within the framework of fiscal balance, we reaffirm this government’s commitment to rebuilding our Armed Forces. It is a process that will take time, but the direction will be clear,” he said.

The La Libertad Avanza leader said he had tasked the General-Secretariat of the Presidency – which is overseen by his sister, Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei – by decree with staging a special "tribute and grant a well-deserved distinction to our veterans” next year, on the 45th anniversary of the Malvinas conflict. 

This is “a recognition that the national Executive has owed our heroes for many years,” claimed the President.

“To our heroes, memory and glory. To our veterans, honour and gratitude. To the Islas Malvinas, loyalty and eternal commitment,” Milei declared, concluding his speech.

– TIMES/AFP/NA