MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mercosur's two largest partners in their worst diplomatic crisis as Brazil recalls its envoy

Milei defended his government's alignment with the United States and Israel and again criticized Brazil's judiciary for barring him from visiting Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil on Sunday recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, for consultations and summoned Argentina's ambassador in Brasília, Daniel Raimondi, to provide explanations at the Foreign Ministry, in the sharpest diplomatic response between the two countries in years. The measures, taken by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, follow the speech Argentine President Javier Milei delivered on Saturday in São Paulo at the convention that formalized Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential candidacy.

A spokesperson for the Brazilian foreign ministry said the ambassador was recalled “over President Milei's insults” at that event, where he referred to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva using terms such as “thief” and “convict” and disparaged a Supreme Federal Court justice. Bitelli was expected to arrive in Brasília between Sunday night and early Monday. A recall for consultations is a formal signal of displeasure through which a government temporarily brings its representative home.

Hours after the measure became known, Milei broadened his accusations in a radio interview from the Palermo Rural Exhibition. There he accused the Brazilian government of having financed part of what he called an “anti-Argentine campaign”: “Do you know who put the most money into this anti-Argentine campaign? The government of Brazil. Twenty-five percent of the resources came from the government of Brazil,” he said. He extended the accusation to Mexico and to the US Democratic Party. He offered no evidence and did not specify which campaign he meant, and the claim is not supported by any known public documentation.

In the same interview, Milei defended his government's alignment with the United States and Israel and again criticized Brazil's judiciary for barring him from visiting Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to more than 27 years for the attempted coup and currently under house arrest. The Supreme Federal Court had prohibited visits for political or electoral purposes until the end of the electoral process.

The episode also drew reactions within Argentina. Buenos Aires province governor Axel Kicillof said the country “respects sister nations and is committed to regional integration.” Argentina's foreign ministry had not issued an official response as of this writing.

The crisis involves Mercosur's two largest members, which are also each other's main trading partners. Milei's visit, his third to Brazil since taking office, included no contact with the federal government. There is a precedent from July 2024, when Bitelli was also summoned to Brasília after an exchange between the two presidents, though of lesser intensity.