Milei also announced thetightening of sanctions against oil companies operating without authorization in the Falkland Islands.The United Kingdom reacted hours later, rejecting the speech.
In a message broadcast nationwide and accompanied by his entire cabinet, the Argentine president announced the signing of a decree to expedite the sanction procedures outlined in Law 26,659against companies, shareholders, directors, and suppliers involved in the extraction of hydrocarbons in territory underBritish occupation without Argentine authorization.The Sea Lion project, promoted by the Israeli Navitas and the British Rockhopper, is being developed in the North Falkland Basin and envisions oil extraction in an area that.
is located within the disputed territory.Argentina claims as part of its continental shelf.The Argentine government maintains that it is the exploration of aNatural resource that is non-renewable and belongs to the Argentines.Something he classified as unprecedented.
The announced decree will prevent:Operations in Argentine territory of the companies involvedThe text prohibits, directly or indirectly, unauthorized projects on the islands and provides for the possibility of default judgment against companies and their suppliers. It also requires state agencies to refer legal breaches to the Chancellery.
In addition to theHardening of sanctions, the Argentine government will send to Congress a bill to defend national sovereignty that provides for the creation of a National Security Council, with powers to respond through economic and diplomatic instruments to state or non-state actors that Buenos Aires considers a threat.
The other central announcement of the presidential message was theexpansion of resources for the Ministry of Defenseto advance the construction of an Integrated Naval Base in Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of the country, with the aim of turning Argentina into a logistics pole of the South Atlantic.
The president reminded that 50 years ago,The United Nations is calling on Argentina and the United Kingdom to refrain from unilateral actions.Regarding the archipelago, as long as the sovereignty dispute remains unresolved. This appeal includes the exploitation of natural resources, and according to Milei, London violated this by proceeding with the oil project without Argentine authorization.
Milei related the timing of the announcement tostatements by his US counterpart, Donald TrumpLast week, he suggested that...Washington could review its traditional position of neutrality.In the sovereignty dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom, Milei described as "favorable change winds" in support of the South American country's claim.
The United Kingdom responded hours later through its Defense and Foreign Affairs ministers, stating that the British commitment to the islands is "absolute and unwavering."They also referred to the 2013 referendum, in which 99.8% of the archipelago's inhabitants voted in favor of continuing under British sovereignty.This vote is disputed by Buenos Aires, which argues that, as a transplanted population, the principle of self-determination of peoples cannot prevail.
The speech marked a shift in relation to previous statements by Milei regarding the path to regain the islands. This stance contrasts with his previous position on April 2, 2025, when he said:
The speech marked aThis new approach is a departure from his earlier remarks.He had previously expressed...
On April 2, 2025, he stated...
Change in Speech
In an interview with Sputnik, international analyst Héctor BernardoInternational analyst Héctor BernardoIt seems to be an over-exposure of the president, considering the social sentiment that strengthened after the World Cup, when there was a manifestation by the national team players in defense of the claim over the Malvinas, and this also resonated in society.
The expert added that Milei never demonstrated a nationalist character: "on the contrary, his positions, generally, were more related to the idea that the islanders had the right to self-determination."
Political scientist Julio Burdman characterized the presidential message as the most "Malvinist" speech by a president:
It's a clear novelty of a government that, until now, had not been characterized by defending sovereignty over the islands [...] for the government, we are facing the concrete possibility of a change regarding the Malvinas issue for the first time since the 1982 war.
It's a clear new approach from a government that, until now, had not been known for defending sovereignty over the islands [...] the government is facing the concrete possibility of a change in the Malvinas issue for the first time since the 1982 war.
Is Argentina the key piece of the South Atlantic?
"They have more to do with US interests, which have shown some tension with the United Kingdom due to internal disputes within NATO, particularly between globalists and continentalists," Bernardo opined.
The analyst detailed that, prior to the announcement, Milei traveled to Chile to meet with his counterpart José Antonio Kast to recognize that country's sovereignty over the Magellan Strait and with the US Under Secretary of State, whoultimately gave him the guidelines for this announcement..
He also compared the initiative to other Washington movements involving strategic interoceanic passages, such asthe regained control of the Panama Canal and the dispute over Greenland, and noted that a base established in the Magellan Strait "projects towards Antarctica and all the natural resources" of that southern continent's region.
In this regard, Burdman stated that "there is a clear bet by Milei that it is Washington that will pressure to make advances on the Malvinas issue, and the government itself makes this explicit in its discourse."
The political scientist added that theTrump's statementsThey are not explained solely by their tensions with the British government.
The United States has been seeking to strengthen its influence in Latin America for some time, and in this context, they aim to establish a security control they have never had over the South Atlantic.
