MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump welcomes new ambassadors from Uruguay and Paraguay

Leite wore a MAGA cap during the ceremony

US President Donald Trump welcomed new ambassadors to Washington DC from ten countries, including those from Uruguay and Paraguay.

A veteran career diplomat, Montevideo's envoy Daniel Castillos became a key piece in Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin's “pragmatic” strategy to engage with global powers. The move seeks to help the Government of President Yamandú Orsi better understand the direction of the Trump administration, which Lubetkin admitted he found unpredictable.

Castillos “will serve for a period that we need to fully understand the trends in President Trump's policy,” Lubetkin explained.

In his 35-year career, Castillos held previous ambassadorships in Russia and South Africa. He has also served in various roles within Uruguay's Foreign Ministry. He also has a law degree from Uruguay's Universidad de la República (Udelar), with postgraduate studies from the University of Oxford. Ambassador Castillos is fluent in English and French and has some knowledge of Portuguese and Italian. He is married and has four children.

Meanwhile, Paraguayan Ambassador Gustavo Leite Gusinky described his meeting with Trump at the White House as “exciting and unforgettable,” emphasizing the start of a “new era” of cooperation, political harmony, and shared prosperity between the two countries.

During the ceremony, Leite wore a Trump trademark “Make America Great Again” cap. Leite is affiliated with Cartismo, the political faction within the ruling Colorado Party of President Santiago Peña led by former President Horacio Cartes.

While Cartes has been designated “significantly corrupt” by the US, Leite's name came up during the poisoned fentanyl scandal hitting neighboring Argentina, which nevertheless did not hinder the mandatory consent from Asunción's Senate.

“President Trump was very kind in listening to me and giving me his position on several important points,” Leite told reporters. Both countries need to work as allies to achieve “tangible results in improving the lives” of their citizens, he added.