Washington: US President Donald Trump has criticized the UK's agreement to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base, calling it an "act of great stupidity." This statement comes months after he initially endorsed the deal.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, the UK finalized the £3.4 billion ($4.6 billion) agreement in May, which allows it to maintain control of a UK-US military base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia. Although US Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously praised the deal as a "monumental achievement," Trump on Tuesday described it as an "act of total weakness." He further stated that the agreement is one of several "National Security reasons" fueling his interest in acquiring Greenland.
A spokesperson for the UK government affirmed that the nation would "never compromise on our national security."