Milei’s attacks strain Brazil-Argentina relations
Dario Durigan
Washington Costa/MF
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government believes the attacks made by Argentine President Javier Milei on Saturday (25) have damaged relations between the two countries and marked an unprecedented episode in their 203 years of diplomatic ties.
Even so, the government is still assessing the possible long-term consequences. On Monday, President Lula mocked Milei by asking, “Who is this guy?” Finance Minister Dario Durigan, meanwhile, called the Argentine president a “clown.”
Speaking at a Liberal Party convention in São Paulo on Saturday, where Senator Flávio Bolsonaro was launched as the party’s presumptive presidential candidate, Milei called Lula a “thief” and a “former inmate.” He also attacked Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, describing him as “bald trash.”
Milei accuses Lula of funding “anti-Argentina” campaign
Analysis: Milei follows script and draws loudest applause
The remarks were prompted by a court decision barring Milei from visiting former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest in Brasília after being convicted of attempting a coup.
“I wanted to visit my friend Jair Bolsonaro and they did not let me, but the former inmate came here to greet the inmate, right?” Milei said in São Paulo, referring to Lula and former Argentine President Cristina Kirchner. “No one stopped him from doing anything. Yet I was not allowed to visit my friend, who is also being unjustly imprisoned.”
Political differences
The comments prompted an immediate reaction from the Brazilian government.
Over the weekend, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira summoned Argentina’s ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Raimondi, to formally convey the government’s repudiation of Milei’s statements.
On Monday, Vieira met Brazil’s ambassador to Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, for an initial assessment of relations between Brazil and Argentina. The meeting lasted about 40 minutes.
The two are expected to meet again after Vieira returns from Lima, where he will represent President Lula at the inauguration of Peru’s president-elect Keiko Fujimori this Tuesday (28), sources said.
Even before the event in São Paulo, the Brazilian government had been monitoring the possibility of further attacks from Milei and preparing for different scenarios.
Officials had expected that, if the Argentine president limited his criticism to Lula and voiced support for Flávio Bolsonaro, Brazil would avoid escalating its response. The government had even considered not responding at all.
Behind the scenes, officials argued that political differences are part of a democratic environment and do not necessarily affect relations between countries.
Since Milei took office in 2023, he and Lula have failed to establish a direct dialogue, but cooperation between the two nations has continued.
Cautious approach
The guidance within the Planalto Palace, the federal government’s seat, had been to exercise caution in responding to Milei’s provocations.
Lula’s advisers believe the Argentine president has little influence over Brazil’s electoral debate and view his appearances at political events in the country as an attempt to give the domestic race greater international prominence.
That assessment would change, however, if Milei attacked Brazilian institutions, criticized the electoral system or made accusations against other branches of government.
In that case, the administration intended to assess the reach of his comments before calibrating a stronger response. That is what ultimately happened.
Sovereignty message
After Milei’s remarks, Minister Vieira met President Lula at the presidential residence on Sunday night to discuss the issue.
The government is still avoiding predictions about the episode’s broader impact on bilateral relations. Its position is that institutional responses should come only when Milei attacks Brazil’s national sovereignty or democratic institutions.
From an electoral perspective, however, Milei’s criticism may help reinforce the central theme of Lula’s 2026 presidential campaign: the defense of national sovereignty.
Officials believe the current international environment, shaped by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff measures and Milei’s latest attacks, strengthens that message.
Lula’s allies see an opportunity to contrast a government that portrays itself as defending national interests with opponents they say are aligned with foreign pressure.
Coordinated pushback
Despite the emphasis on caution, Lula and several members of his administration mounted a coordinated response to Milei on Monday.
“Who is this guy?” Lula said when asked about the Argentine president before a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the Foreign Ministry.
Durigan also argued that Brazil’s economy is in a stronger position than Argentina’s, citing sovereign risk, public debt and inflation, before calling Milei a “clown.”
In an interview with Rádio Jornal de Pernambuco, the finance minister said Brazil should not be drawn into claims that its economy was heading toward an “apocalyptic” scenario.
“The clown who is president of Argentina came to Brazil and talked about Brazil when Argentina’s country risk is much higher, its public debt is much higher and its inflation is much higher,” Durigan said.
Later in the day, Milei responded with a series of social media posts.
“Lula is a former inmate and, when he came to Argentina, he visited his convicted ally. He is the founder of the São Paulo Forum [a group that brings together left-wing parties and movements from across Latin America] and keeps Bolsonaro ineligible,” read one of the posts he shared, referring to Kirchner.
