Argentina Accuses UK of Violating Bilateral Agreement After HMS Medway Sails Through Disputed Waters

Diplomatic relations between Argentina and the United Kingdom have heated up following the movement of the Royal Navy warship HMS Medway (P223). Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno expressed outrage, stating that Buenos Aires has lodged a formal protest over the British warship’s presence near the Malvinas Islands (Falklands). In a post on X, he expressed the ‘strongest rejection’ of the ‘unconsulted and illegal’ voyage of HMS Medway through Argentine territorial waters, citing a lack of proper notification. Quirno asserted that HMS Medway, which is based in the Falkland Islands, violated a bilateral agreement in a diplomatic note sent to the British Embassy on 13 July 2026. The incident has also triggered public anger, including within the Argentine parliament. The dispute was sparked after the Royal Navy patrol vessel sailed from the Falkland Islands to the Strait of Magellan, with Argentine authorities accusing the UK of failing to inform Buenos Aires about the ship’s transit through waters Argentina considers to be under its jurisdiction.