Argentine President Javier Milei attacked Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during the PL convention in São Paulo on Saturday, calling him a convict and accusing him of interference. The Brazilian government summoned ambassadors for clarifications and Lula dismissed the remarks with irony.
Milei spoke for about 30 minutes at the convention that formalized Flávio Bolsonaro as the PL presidential candidate. He called Lula a thief and socialist trash, accused the Brazilian government of funding a campaign against Argentina, and referred to Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes as bald trash for blocking his visit to Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest.
Lula reacted on Monday during a reception for the South Korean president in Brasília. Asked about the statements, he replied: "Who is this guy?". Itamaraty summoned Argentine ambassador Daniel Raimondi and Brazilian ambassador in Buenos Aires Julio Bitelli to assess the impacts.
Finance Minister Dario Durigan called Milei a clown. In Argentina, Governor Axel Kicillof and former President Alberto Fernández criticized the speech as irresponsible and harmful to trade relations. Chief of Staff Diego Santilli downplayed the episode.
