MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina's Embassy in Caracas to be placed under Italian protection

Starting Thursday, Brazil will no longer represent Argentina's interests in Venezuela due to the “technical need” to reorganize its country's mission.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pulled his country's diplomats from the building that was once Argentina's Embassy in Caracas, but which had been placed under Brasilia's care when Javier Milei severed all ties with the Nicolás Maduro totalitarian regime.

In line with his reluctance to accept the latest events in Venezuela and US President Donald Trump's role therein, Lula withdrew. Starting Thursday, the former Argentine Embassy will be under the protection of Italy, given Milei's optimal rapport with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and between them with Trump.

In the meantime, and just days ahead of the signing of the European Union (EU)-Southern Common Market (Mercosur) Free Trade Agreement, ties between South America's two largest countries have hit an all-time low, also driven by the conviction of Milei's ally and former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Effective Thursday, Brazil will cease representing Argentine interests in Venezuela due to the “technical necessity” to reorganize its country's mission before the new interim government of Delcy Rodríguez.

For over 14 months, Brazil successfully protected six Venezuelan opposition figures inside the embassy until they were extracted by US forces in May 2025.

While Brazil initially sought a more moderate approach, a series of recent provocations from the Milei administration exhausted Lula's patience, it was reported. depicted Argentina as a “high-tech” hub while labeling Brazil and Colombia as a giant “favela.” In addition, he has repeatedly used his X account to label Lula a “dictator” and “corrupt,” often sharing images of the Brazilian leader embracing the disgraced Maduro. While Milei hailed the US intervention as “liberation,” Lula has condemned it, framing it as a violation of “national sovereignty.”

Despite the breakup, Brazilian diplomats insisted until the last minute on the release of Argentine Border Guard (Gendarmería Nacional) NCO Nahuel Gallo, who has been held incommunicado for over a year in El Rodeo I prison.

The new scenario is also seen as a consolidation of the “Rome-Buenos Aires-Washington” axis, as Milei seeks to distance Argentina from Brazil's traditional grip of Mercosur.