Brazil recalls ambassador after Milei calls Lula a 'thief' and judge 'trash' at Bolsonaro rally

The insults

On Saturday 25 July, Argentine President Javier Milei took the stage at a São Paulo convention confirming Flávio Bolsonaro as the Liberal Party's presidential candidate. In a nearly half-hour speech, Milei called Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a "thief" and "delinquent" without naming him directly. He also labelled Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes "bald trash," after Moraes denied Milei permission to visit former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is under house arrest serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt. Milei urged the audience to turn away from "socialist scum" in Latin America.

Brazil's response

Brazil's Foreign Ministry recalled its ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, for consultations and summoned Argentine Ambassador Daniel Raimondi to convey "repulsion" and demand explanations. In a statement, the ministry said there was "no precedent of a foreign president who, on national territory, accumulates aggressions and offenses against the head of state, democratic institutions, including the judiciary, and the Brazilian people." It called the episode "infamous" and lamented that it involved a country with which Brazil shares 203 years of friendship and which counts Brazil as its main trading partner. Supreme Court President Edson Fachin called Milei's remarks a "disrespectful reference to a magistrate of the highest court."

Brazil's destiny is determined only by Brazilians without external interference, without subservience.

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira was set to meet Bitelli on Monday 27 July to define next steps; Lula may also receive the ambassador, a gesture that would signal even greater displeasure.

Milei escalates

On Sunday, Milei doubled down on a Buenos Aires radio station. Without providing evidence, he claimed that "the government of Brazil" had funded 25% of an "anti-Argentina campaign," and that "progressive heads" from Mexico and the US Democratic Party were also involved.

Who put more money into this anti-Argentina campaign? The government of Brazil. 25% of the resources came from the government of Brazil.

He said a group of Brazilians sent by Lula had "played actively" against him during his 2023 presidential campaign. Argentine media reported that Milei's government had made clear no apology would be forthcoming, either from the ambassador or the president himself.

Political backdrop

Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former president who lost the 2022 election to Lula by a margin of 50.9% to 49.1%. Jair Bolsonaro was convicted last year of plotting a coup to remain in power and sentenced to over 27 years in prison; he is currently under house arrest. Lula himself was convicted in 2018 on corruption charges and served 18 months before his convictions were annulled by the Supreme Court in 2021, allowing him to run and win the presidency. Milei, who styles himself as the leader of Latin America's right, framed Flávio's candidacy as part of a regional shift away from the left.

What happens next

The diplomatic crisis is described by Argentine newspaper La Nación as "the biggest diplomatic crisis of the last half century between Argentina and Brazil." Brazilian diplomatic sources told RFI that while no extreme measures are currently under consideration, the situation could escalate: Bitelli may remain in Brasília indefinitely, and if tensions worsen, Brazil could withdraw its ambassador permanently or declare Raimondi persona non grata. A full rupture of relations remains a last resort that neither side wants. For now, the Vieira-Bitelli meeting will determine the immediate trajectory.