Brazil Seeks Argentina Envoy Recall, Cuts Ties to Charge d'Affaires as Milei Calls Lula a Thief
Updated
Updated · Euronews · Aug 5
Brazil Seeks Argentina Envoy Recall, Cuts Ties to Charge d'Affaires as Milei Calls Lula a Thief
3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 5
Summary
Brazil asked Argentina to recall its ambassador and downgraded bilateral representation to chargé d'affaires level after President Javier Milei again branded Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a "thief" and "corrupt."
Buenos Aires said Brazil also recalled its own ambassador for consultations, with the rupture triggered by Milei's TV remarks and his criticism of a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.
Adrian Ravier, Milei's spokesperson, downplayed the clash with Brazil—Argentina's largest trade partner—as an ideological and political dispute rather than a deeper bilateral break.
The spat extends a relationship that has stayed frosty since Milei took office in December 2023 and intensified after he backed Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Lula's right-wing rival, during a Brazil visit last weekend.