Factor — Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has summoned its ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, for urgent consultations to meet with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira. Concurrently, Brazilian authorities have summoned the Argentine ambassador, Daniel Raimondi, to demand explanations regarding the incident.
The cause of the tension is Argentine President Javier Milei's sharp rhetoric during the Liberal Party of Brazil's convention in São Paulo. Milei called Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes a "bald piece of trash" and labeled incumbent Brazilian President Lula da Silva a "thief." Milei's outrage stems from the court's refusal to allow him to meet with Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under arrest and accused of an attempted coup.
The Argentine president claims his actions are part of the spread of a "blue wave" across Latin America, while the Brazilian Foreign Ministry has deemed the remarks unacceptable. A formal statement emphasized that these unprecedented comments insult not only the head of state and democratic institutions but also the entire Brazilian people. The Brazilian side expressed regret that such harsh rhetoric is coming from the leader of a country with which Brazil has been a close partner for decades.
Foreign Minister Vieira criticized Milei's behavior but noted that the permanent recall of ambassadors is not currently under consideration. According to him, that is an extreme measure they are not yet prepared to take. Brazil is awaiting clear explanations from Argentina to understand why the Argentine president leveled such crude accusations while on Brazilian soil.
