The Government of Brazil recalled its ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, for consultations, following the insults uttered by President Javier Milei against his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, during the Liberal Party convention, where he endorsed the presidential candidacy of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, for the October elections.
The measure was adopted by the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, and communicated to the diplomatic representation in Buenos Aires. According to sources cited by Argentine media, Bitelli will temporarily return to Brasilia.
The decision deepens tensions between both governments. Brazil is Argentina’s main trading partner, although the bilateral relationship has remained distant since Milei’s arrival at the Casa Rosada.
During a speech of approximately 25 minutes, Milei referred to Lula as “the leftist,” “the thief,” and “the inmate.” He also stated that Brazil faces a “Lula Risk” and affirmed that the country is heading towards a debt crisis due to the lack of fiscal adjustment.
The Argentine president also questioned Supreme Federal Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, who had prevented him from visiting Jair Bolsonaro during his stay in Brazil. Milei called the magistrate “the bald trash” and described the former president as an “unjustly imprisoned friend.”
Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest and was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for leading an attempted coup d’état aimed at preventing Lula’s inauguration.
In the circles of the Brazilian Government, Milei’s participation in the campaign was interpreted as an intervention in the country’s internal affairs. The criticisms intensified because the attacks against Lula and De Moraes were uttered on Brazilian territory.
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The president of the Workers’ Party, Edinho Silva, described it as “unacceptable for a foreign head of state to come to our country and address its constituted powers in disrespectful terms.”
The Minister of Institutional Relations, José Guimarães, also questioned Milei and stated that he hoped he would use his time in Brazil to “learn that governing is caring for people, and not dismantling rights.”
The Argentine president’s intervention was also repudiated by the president of the Supreme Federal Court, Luiz Edson Fachin, after the attacks directed against Alexandre de Moraes.
This was Milei’s third visit to Brazil since he assumed the Presidency and, once again, it did not include meetings with Lula’s Government. His agenda was focused on leaders linked to Bolsonarism.
Before participating in the convention, he was received by the governor of the state of São Paulo, Tarcísio Gomes de Freitas, who presented him with the Order of Ipiranga in the Grand Cross degree, the main regional distinction.
Milei traveled accompanied by the Secretary General of the Argentine Presidency, Karina Milei; the Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno; and the Consul General in São Paulo, Luis María Kreckler.
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