Argentine President Javier Milei launched strong criticisms against his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during an event in São Paulo last Saturday. The statements prompted official reactions in Brazil and a repudiation project in the Argentine Chamber of Deputies.
Milei participated in the National Convention of the Liberal Party in São Paulo. There he backed Flávio Bolsonaro’s candidacy and described Lula as a “thief”, “convict” and “totalitarian”. He also referred to judge Alexandre de Moraes as “the bald trash”.
Lula responded to the conflict with irony. “Who is that guy?”, he said. Brazil called its ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultations and summoned the Argentine ambassador in Brasilia.
Deputy Jorge Taiana presented a repudiation project in the Chamber of Deputies. The initiative questions Milei’s expressions and warns that they damage bilateral relations. Analysts such as Miguel Ponce and Gustavo Damián González criticized the Argentine government’s foreign policy for attacking national interests.
