"Tough sanction", highlights Clarín about Brazil downgrading its relationship with Argentina

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs decided that the Brazilian ambassador in Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, should not return to Argentina while Milei's attacks continue. The insults were considered unacceptable disrespect in bilateral relations.

Brazil will now be represented in the neighboring country by a Chargé d'Affaires, a lower position that expresses this diplomatic demotion. On July 26, Brazilian ambassador Bitelli was summoned to return to Brasília after Milei cursed President Lula at a party convention of the Liberal Party (PL), which nominated senator Flávio Bolsonaro to run for President of the Republic.

On the occasion, Milei called Lula a “prisoner” and attacked STF minister Alexandre de Moraes, rapporteur of the trial that sentenced Flávio's father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, to 27 years in prison for an attempted coup d'état.

“There is no precedent for a foreign president who, in national territory, commits aggressions and insults against the Head of State, democratic institutions, including the Judiciary, and the Brazilian people”, countered the Itamaraty, in a note.

In the days following the PL convention, Milei's attacks against Lula continued with insults such as “thief” and “socialist trash”. Milei also continued insulting the STF in public demonstrations.

These repeated attacks motivate Brazil to decide not to send ambassador Julio Bitelli back to Argentina. The decision must be maintained as long as the insults continue.

Argentina

Through a statement released on social media, the Argentine government regretted the Brazilian government's “unilateral” decision, arguing that it was adopted for “purely ideological” reasons.

"We have never responded to a political difference with an institutional measure. This criterion is what Argentina supports today," said the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Brazilian government has maintained that it maintains diplomatic relations with governments of all ideological profiles, with offenses being the reason for the downgrading of diplomatic relations.

Repercussion

The Brazilian decision had repercussions in the newspapers of the neighboring country. Clarín, one of the most traditional in Argentina, classified the decision as a “harsh diplomatic sanction”.

The newspaper Infobae said that the relationship between the two countries is in an “unprecedented crisis”, highlighting that the measure worries the Argentine business community.

Brazil is Argentina's main trading partner, being the destination for 12.6% of the country's goods exports, ahead of China with 9.9% and the United States, with 9.8%, from January to June this year, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Census of Argentina (Indec).

In 2025, Argentina was the third main destination for Brazilian exports, which represented US$ 18.1 billion in goods sold, which amounts to 5.2% of the total exported by Brazil. The data comes from Comex Stat, the database of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Commerce (MDIC).