Falklands veteran hopes King can persuade Trump to 'back down'

Falklands War veteran Simon Weston has said he hopes King Charles III can convince US President Donald Trump to "back down" over reports the US could review its position on the UK's claim to the territory.

Weston told BBC Newsnight that Trump's "hissy fit" over the sovereignty of the islands "makes our sacrifice feel slightly irrelevant".

An internal Pentagon email reported by Reuters suggested the US was considering options to punish Nato allies it believed had failed to support its war on Iran. BBC News has not been able to review the email.

Downing Street has said that sovereignty of the Falkland Islands "rests with the UK" and that the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount.

The Falklands remain the subject of a sovereignty dispute between the UK and Argentina, with the Argentine government saying it is willing to resume negotiations.

On Friday, a US state department spokesperson was quoted as saying by AFP news agency that the US position on the islands remained "one of neutrality".

"We acknowledge that there are conflicting claims of sovereignty between Argentina and the UK," the spokesperson said, adding that the US recognises "de facto United Kingdom administration" of the archipelago without taking sides on sovereignty claims.

When asked about what he hoped the King's state visit to the US next week could achieve on the row, Weston said he wanted the monarch to persuade Trump to "back down and calm down".

"He's [Trump] paying absolutely no heed to the humanity that he's abusing with his words because the people of the Falklands deserve more respect, but so do every veteran who served down there deserve more respect."

Weston, who served as a Welsh Guardsman during the 1982 war, suffered almost 50% burns to his body in the RFA Sir Galahad attack.

He called the US president's comments "very unstatesmanlike", adding that he was "sad and disappointed it's come to this".

Claiming sovereignty over the Falklands has been a rallying cry every Argentine government has deployed in the past, guaranteed to have a popular reaction.

In Argentina's presidential palace, a plaque dedicated to the islands - which it calls Malvinas - is mounted in a prime position.

On Friday, Argentina's President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, posted in capital letters on social media: "The Malvinas were, are, and always will be Argentine."

His foreign affairs minister said Argentina wanted to restart negotiations with the UK, something the UK is unlikely to agree to, and denounced the exploration and extraction of natural resources there. The islands are surrounded by significant oil fields.