Milei criticises UN over Falklands dispute as Argentina challenges oil project

Buenos Aires, Argentina. President Javier Milei criticised the United Nations on Wednesday for looking “the other way” amid rising tensions with Britain over oil exploration around the Falkland Islands. Addressing the UN General Assembly, he repeated Argentina’s sovereignty claim and called for negotiations with the United Kingdom.

Dispute over oil exploration

The Falkland Islands are a largely self-governing British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. Argentina calls them the Malvinas and has long disputed British sovereignty over them. Milei said the islanders do not have a right to self-determination and urged a peaceful resolution through talks.

“We’re choosing a pacific, practical and effective defense,” he said.

Earlier this month, Argentina began sanctions proceedings against more than 60 companies and people linked to an offshore oil drilling project. British officials have strongly opposed the move. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Tuesday that Britain would stand firm and “defend the right of the Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British.”

In a televised address this month, Milei said the project violated a 1976 UN General Assembly resolution urging both countries to resolve the sovereignty dispute through dialogue and avoid unilateral decisions. The drilling project has strong Israeli ties, and Milei is due to meet Israeli Prime Minister and close ally Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

Political response

Argentina’s claim to the islands remains central to its national identity. Argentina invaded the archipelago in 1982, beginning a 10-week war that ended with its surrender to Britain. Murals in Buenos Aires still commemorate the Argentine soldiers who died.

Milei’s speech came days after US President Donald Trump, an ally, suggested Washington could reconsider its traditionally neutral position on the dispute. Milei’s tougher stance marks a shift for a president previously criticised by opponents for showing little interest in the issue while pursuing closer ties with the US and Europe.

Argentina’s opposition now accuses Milei, who is expected to seek reelection in 2027, of using the dispute to bolster domestic support. Guillermo Michel, a Peronist opposition member of the chamber of deputies, said it was “simply something to look good in the eyes of society or to try to shift the agenda.”