By Daniel Guzmán / Director of Agenda Malvinas

Last Monday, April 6, 2026 , under a leaden sky in Buenos Aires, the President of Chile, José Antonio Katz , crossed the threshold of the Casa Rosada for his first official visit abroad. In the White Hall, amidst handshakes and customary smiles with his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei , a "Joint Declaration" was signed in which Katz reiterated "Chile's support for Argentina's legitimate sovereign rights over the Malvina Islands."

However, for those of us who look at the map through the lens of reality and not protocol, these words are just occasional speeches, empty shells that clash head-on with the facts that Agenda Malvinas has been denouncing for 8 years.

The RRS Sir David Attenborough : The Affront at Sea

One of the most scandalous aspects of this complicity is the operation of the British scientific vessel RRS Sir David Attenborough .

This vessel not only operates in Antarctica, but also sails with impunity through Argentine and Chilean waters flying the illegal flag of the "Malvina Islands" .

And therein lies the first paradox : How does this President of Chile—and his predecessor—who claims to recognize Argentine sovereignty, explain the presence of a ship flying the flag of the usurped nation in his ports (Punta Arenas) and in his territorial waters? Is this permissiveness, in practice, a de facto recognition of British colonial authority over the Argentine archipelago and its usurped seas?

The legacy of 1982: The invader's necessary ally

To understand the present, it is essential to examine the core of this relationship. Chile's collaboration with the United Kingdom during the Malvinas War was not an isolated incident, but a strategic alliance that saved British lives at the cost of Argentine blood .

Chile made all its radars and intelligence centers available to the United Kingdom to monitor every takeoff by the Argentine Air Force and every movement of Army units along the shared Andean border and in Patagonia. It facilitated the landing of RAF aircraft, provided refuge to British commandos (such as the Sea King helicopter incident near Punta Arenas following the failed Operation Mikado in Río Grande), and supplied meteorological and signals intelligence vital to the fleet sent by Margaret Thatcher .

Shared impunity: Thatcher and Pinochet

This "debt of honor" between the United Kingdom and the Chilean dictatorship was sealed for history when the justice system of the Kingdom of Spain tried to reach Augusto Pinochet .

In 1998, when Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón secured the arrest of the genocidal dictator Pinochet in London for crimes against humanity, it was Margaret Thatcher who publicly defended him. The "Iron Lady" not only visited the dictator under house arrest but also demanded his release, arguing that Pinochet was a "loyal friend" who had helped Britain win the war in 1982.

This pact of impunity demonstrated that the Chilean-British relationship was not and is not based on international law, but on a brotherhood of military and political interests that despise Argentine sovereignty.

Current logistics: The military and scientific air bridge

Today, that alliance remains alive. Agenda Malvinas has documented the ongoing operation of RAF military aircraft, such as the Airbus A400M Atlas (registrations ZM413 and ZM418), using bases in Santiago and Punta Arenas.

Whether Javier Milei wants to see it or not, Chile continues to be Great Britain's "land aircraft carrier," guaranteeing, since October 1999, the means of communication between the established colony and the world, the arrival of members of fishing fleets, the arrival of technicians and engineers who will start oil exploitation, and the tourist movement.

A dangerous simulation

President Katz says he supports Argentina because it is politically correct, but his state—its armed forces, its Antarctic administration, and its port infrastructure—continues to work for London.

Out of respect for our fallen heroes and for ourselves, Argentinians must not believe the president of Chile . Because a country that allows ships flying the flag of the usurper to sail its waters and operate in its ports, that protects the memory of the betrayal and military collaboration of 1982, and that has never apologized to the people of Argentina, that maintains a growing military relationship and that coexists with and benefits from the logistical bridge shared by the usurper, is not an ally: it is the strategic partner that allows colonialism to continue growing in the South Atlantic. The reality is simple: today, as in '82, Chile continues to play for London.