Russian state TV urges Putin to arm Argentina and 'defeat Brits in Falklands'

Russian state TV urges Putin to arm Argentina and 'defeat Brits in Falklands' Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov has urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to arm Argentina to 'decisively defeat Britain' and take control of the Falkland Islands Argentina must be armed by the Kremlin to "decisively defeat Britain" and take control of the Falkland Islands, Russian state TV has said. The same broadcast by Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov called on his "Scottish brothers" to "fight for your independence", saying the British overseas territory "must be free" with "help" from Moscow. Speaking about the Falkland Islands - known as the Malvinas in Argentina - Solovyov said: "I believe that, first of all, Argentina must be helped to retake the Malvinas Islands, and given all the weapons necessary to decisively defeat Britain." "The Malvinas must be Argentine," he added, echoing the "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" ("The Malvinas are Argentine") slogan. Another panel member on the Evening with Vladimir Solovyov show pointed out that 93 per cent of the roughly 3,500 Falkland Islanders are British. Solovyov hit back: "Who cares how many occupiers there are? Do you mind that it's not truly Argentine land? So, give the British a few hours and demand they leave the Malvinas Islands." Turning to Scotland, Solovyov, who has hosted his prime-time show on Russia-1 since 2012, said the country "must be free". Switching from Russian to English "with a Scottish accent", he demanded: "Scottish brothers, you have to fight for your independence... And we must help them." Britain says its territorial claim to the Falklands dates to 1765. In 1833, it sent a warship to the South Atlantic archipelago to expel Argentine forces that had sought to establish sovereignty over the territory. Argentina argues the islands were illegally taken from it in 1833 and regards the UK as a colonial power. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands in April 1982. The 10-week armed conflict between the UK and Argentina claimed the lives of 649 Argentine troops, 255 British service personnel and three islanders. Earlier this month, Russia threatened the UK with "consequences" over its support for Ukraine and the use of British drones in strikes deep inside Russia. The Russian embassy accused Britain of "deliberately betting on an escalation of the Ukrainian crisis". As reported by Russian state news agency TASS, the embassy warned: "These actions by London will inevitably have consequences for which it will be held accountable." It said the greater the UK's support for Kyiv, "the higher the price will be". The weapons, produced by two separate UK companies, have been used to attack refineries and warehouses belonging to online retailer Wildberries, causing more than £35bn in economic damage, according to the The Sunday Times.