Feb 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he retained the right to "militarily secure" the joint Diego Garcia air base if future arrangements threatened American access, following "productive" talks with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Last month, Trump criticised Britain's 2025 deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago - including an island with the joint U.S.-UK Diego Garcia base - as an act of "total weakness" and "great stupidity."
But in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said he understood the deal Starmer made was "the best he could make."
Starmer's 2025 deal transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while keeping Diego Garcia under British control through a 99-year lease that preserved U.S. operations at the base.
"However, if the lease deal, sometime in the future, ever falls apart, or anyone threatens or endangers U.S. operations and forces at our base, I retain the right to militarily secure and reinforce the American presence in Diego Garcia," Trump said.
BASE VITAL TO SECURITY: STARMER SPOKESPERSON
A Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer and Trump "agreed on the importance of the deal to secure the joint UK-U.S. base on Diego Garcia, which remains vital to shared security interests."
She added Britain and the U.S. would continue to work closely on the implementation of the deal.
The British government previously said it had acted for national security reasons after international court decisions threatened its ability to maintain the base under previous arrangements. The archipelago, home to around 4,000 personnel, has been used for long-range U.S. operations, including in Yemen and Afghanistan.
The deal includes 3 billion pounds ($4 billion) to be paid by Britain to Mauritius over the term of the agreement, with an option for a 50-year extension and Britain maintaining the right of first refusal thereafter.
The deal has faced strong opposition from Britain's Conservative Party, which argues it weakens the country's strategic position and risks undermining long-term security arrangements with the United States.
Mauritius has said its sovereignty over the islands had been unequivocally recognised in international law and the deal "should no longer be subject to debate" and should be implemented quickly.
($1 = 0.7386 pounds)
(Reporting by Costas Pitas, Bhargav Acharya and Sam Tabahriti in London; Writing by Christian Martinez and Sam Tabahriti; editing by Susan Heavey, Michelle Nichols, Rod Nickel)
