President Javier Milei said in a hypothetical scenario that Falkland Islanders would not be deported if the UK ever ceded the territory to Argentina. Asked theoretically about the fate of the roughly 3,600 residents under Argentine sovereignty, Milei told Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait at the Economic Club of New York on Thursday that their rights would be respected.

"I am very clear that those people will be treated with dignity and justice," Milei said. "We are not going to kick them out." Milei reiterated his nation's position that the islanders aren't an indigenous population entitled to self-determination, arguing that Britain displaced an earlier population and installed another.

Milei has stepped up pressure over the British-controlled Falklands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, as the Sea Lion offshore oil project moves toward production in 2028. Britain rejects Argentina's position and says sovereignty isn't open to negotiation unless the islanders want it to be. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham raised the issue directly with President Donald Trump this week, saying Britain would defend the islanders' right to self-determination.