An official statement from Downing Street reported on a phone call held today between British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chilean President José María Kast, in which they discussed "strengthening ties of cooperation and development in areas related to defense, security, science, and trade." The Malvinas issue came up in the conversation when Burnham asked his trans-Andean counterpart for support in guaranteeing that the inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands retain the ability to exercise their right to self-determination. According to the British government's statement, "the two leaders spoke about the growing cultural, scientific, and people-to-people ties between both countries, and the positive impact this has had on investment and infrastructure opportunities. They recognized the untapped trade opportunities between the two nations and agreed on the need to strengthen commercial ties." Chile's President Jose Antonio Kast speaks during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)Heather Khalifa - FR172147 APThe direct dialogue between Burnham and Kast comes a week after, as LA NACION anticipated, the British ambassador to Chile, David Concar, toured Punta Arenas alongside mayor Claudio Radonich to highlight "the cooperation between the British Navy and the Chilean Navy," and to back the combined Antarctic infrastructure, but also as a way of formalizing the Punta Arenas–Puerto Argentino commercial maritime route, entrusted to the shipping company Eastern Island. British media also revealed that Burnham held a conversation in the same vein with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to whom he stressed the importance of "respecting the right of the archipelago's inhabitants to develop their natural resources." In this way, Burnham seeks to contain the pressures pushed by Argentina at the Hamburg Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and to warn about the shadow of legal insecurity that would loom over US companies that could be sanctioned by Argentina for cooperating directly or indirectly with the oil exploitation at Sea Lion, beyond those in charge of the business, such as the Israeli consortium Navitas Petroleum and its British partner Rockhopper Exploration. Engineer Andres Montero speaks during the Falklands Islands–Punta Arenas Business Fair, in Punta Arenas, Magallanes Region, Chile on September 28, 2026. Businesspeople from Chile and the Falklands Islands meet in Punta Arenas, southern Chile, to finalize details for a new commercial shipping route scheduled to open between November and December 2026. (Photo by Claudio MONGE / AFP)CLAUDIO MONGE - AFPThe alignment between the two governments was reflected this week, when the Chilean foreign minister Pérez Mackena visited London. There he held various meetings with UK officials, from which he brought back a collaboration proposal for Chile to build war frigates in the Magallanes region. The offer existed and was confirmed by specialized Chilean media, and was made by the British company Babcock International Group, which offered to transfer technology to Chile to begin building Arrowhead 140 combat frigates in the country. The offer of heavy frigates began to take shape at the beginning of the month when former Royal Navy vice admiral and Babcock Marine chief executive Nick Hine visited Chile to formally offer the construction of those vessels at the Asmar shipyards. The whole issue generates concern in Argentina. A few days ago, the Chilean defense minister, Fernando Barros, spoke of "two centuries of sovereignty over the islands on the part of a friendly country such as the United Kingdom," and never used the term "colonialism." Days later, Barros announced a kind of relaunch and development plan for the Magallanes region, confirming the commercial relationship with the Malvinas Islands, restoring the maritime route, and announcing that his government will double the defense budget for the region, raising it to 2.885 billion dollars. The United Kingdom's seduction strategy toward Chile, offering military and economic development in the South Pacific, is related to the need to have a continental partner to serve as support for the interests of the Malvinas Islands, all the more so if the offshore oil exploitation at Sea Lion is not halted in the coming months. By Daniel Santa Cruz Type of work: News Original