Governor of Buenos Aires posts photo with Lula and criticizes Milei

The governor of the province of Buenos Aires, Axel Kicillof (Justicialista Party, left), published this Sunday (26.Jul.2026) a photo next to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and criticized the statements that the president of Argentina, Javier Milei (La Libertad Avanza, right), made when participating in the PL convention, in São Paulo. In the publication in X, Kicillof stated that Argentina respects neighboring nations and defended regional integration.

“Yesterday we saw, with others’ shame, President Milei offend and insult the government of Brazil, its president and an entire country”, he wrote, in translation from Spanish.

The statements were made by Milei on Saturday (Jul 25), during the event that made the candidacy of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) official for the Presidency. In his speech, the Argentine said that Brazil faces a “Lula risk”, he stated that he was “time to put an end to the socialist bullshit”called socialists thieves and referred to Federal Supreme Court minister Alexandre de Moraes as “bald trash”.

Kicillof said he spoke with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, on behalf of the Justicialista Party of the province of Buenos Aires. According to the governor, he told the chancellor that Milei’s statements do not represent the feelings of the Argentine population. He also said that the provocations put investments, exports, jobs and the country’s economic interests at risk.

Economist and Peronist leader, Kicillof was Secretary of Economic Policy and Minister of Economy during the government of Cristina Kirchner, an ally of Lula. He held the position from 2013 to 2015. He then served as national deputy from 2015 to 2019. He has governed the province of Buenos Aires since 2019 and was re-elected in 2023.

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Ambassador called

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the Brazilian ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, for consultations after Milei’s statements.

Bitelli should disembark in Brasília between the night of this Sunday (26th July) and the early hours of Monday (27th July). In a note, Itamaraty stated that the measure was adopted “due to the insults made by the Argentine president yesterday”.

The call for consultations is one of the main diplomatic instruments used by a country to demonstrate dissatisfaction with the attitudes or statements of another government.

Although it does not represent the breaking of diplomatic relations, the gesture signals the worsening of tension between the countries.

Itamaraty did not say how long Bitelli will remain in Brasília nor whether it will adopt other diplomatic measures in response to the Argentine president’s statements.