The Brazilian government has chosen to downgrade the level of bilateral relations with Argentina following President Javier Milei’s repeated attacks against Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Supreme Court.

The Ministry of Foreign Relations has decided that Brazil’s ambassador to Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, should not return to Argentina as long as Milei’s attacks continue. The insults were deemed an unacceptable breach of respect in bilateral relations.

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Brazil will now be represented in the neighboring country by a chargé d’affaires, a lower-ranking position that reflects this diplomatic downgrade.

On July 26, Brazilian Ambassador Bitelli was recalled to Brasília after Milei insulted President Lula at a convention of the Liberal Party (PL), which nominated Senator Flávio Bolsonaro to run for president.

On that occasion, Milei called Lula a “convict” and attacked Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the presiding judge in the trial that sentenced Flávio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup d’état.

“There is no precedent for a foreign president who, while on Brazilian soil, hurls insults and offenses at the head of state, democratic institutions – including the judiciary – and the Brazilian people,” the Foreign Ministry countered in a statement.

In the days following the PL convention, Milei’s attacks against Lula continued with insults such as “thief” and “socialist scum.” Milei also continued to insult the Supreme Court in public appearances.

These repeated attacks have prompted Brazil to decide not to send Ambassador Julio Bitelli back to Argentina. The decision is expected to remain in effect as long as the insults continue.

Argentina

In a statement posted on social media, the Argentine government lamented the Brazilian government’s “unilateral” decision, arguing that it was based on “purely ideological” considerations.

“We have never responded to a political disagreement with an institutional measure. This is the principle that Argentina upholds today,” said the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Brazilian government has argued that it maintains diplomatic relations with governments of all ideological persuasions, and that the insults were the reason for downgrading diplomatic relations.

Repercussions

The Brazilian decision made headlines in the neighboring country’s newspapers. Clarín, one of Argentina’s most established newspapers, described the decision as a “harsh diplomatic sanction.”

The newspaper Infobae reported that relations between the two countries are in an “unprecedented crisis,” noting that the measure is causing concern among Argentina’s business community.

Brazil is Argentina’s main trading partner, accounting for 12.6 percent of the country’s goods exports — ahead of China at 9.9 percent and the US at 9.8 percent – for January through June of this year, as per data from Argentina’s National Institute of Statistics and Censuses.

In 2025, Argentina ranked as the third-largest destination for Brazilian exports, accounting for USD 18.1 billion in goods sold, which represents 5.2 percent of Brazil’s total exports. The data comes from Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, and Trade.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described the revocation of the visa of the Brazilian ambassador to the US, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti – reported on Tuesday (Aug. 4) by the Trump administration – as an irresponsible and ill-advised move.

The US justified the measure by citing Brazil’s delay in responding to the request for diplomatic approval of the Trump administration’s nominee to head the US Embassy in Brazil.

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The Brazilian government refuted the allegations, stating that they were false.

“[Trump] then took the step of revoking our ambassador’s visa. If she leaves [the US] and comes here, she’ll have to apply for a visa again. An irresponsible, ill-advised move for a country with 203 years of diplomatic history and relations. Uncalled for,” President Lula said.

The statement was made during an interview with news outlets on Wednesday (5).

“The US doesn’t take its ambassador to Brazil seriously. [Trump] has been in office for a year and a half and hasn’t sent one here. Then he tried to send one and thinks we’re obligated to set the date they want. That’s not right; it’s not possible. We’d like to be treated with respect,” he added.

Elections

Amid a series of diplomatic incidents, President Lula’s press office issued a statement on Tuesday noting that the denial of visas to two US government officials was justified because their presence in the country was intended to cast doubt on the Brazilian electoral system.

In his remarks, Lula reiterated that he will not accept any attempt at foreign interference in the October elections.

“Brazil is not only prepared but will stand up to anyone from outside the country who seeks to interfere in our electoral process.”

The Workers’ Party (PT) formally nominated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as its presidential candidate at a convention held on Sunday (Aug. 2) in São Paulo.

Geraldo Alckmin of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) was confirmed as Lula’s running mate, reuniting the ticket that won the 2022 presidential election. If elected, Lula will begin his fourth term as president.

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Alongside the PSB, the PT’s coalition for the 2026 presidential election includes the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), the Green Party (PV), the Democratic Labor Party (PDT), the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), and the Sustainability Network (Rede).

In his opening speech at the PT National Convention, party president Edinho Silva emphasized that the upcoming Brazilian election will have a significant impact on Latin America and the world. He added that the vote will determine the country’s sovereignty in the face of possible “interventionism.”

Former Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and First Lady Janja Silva also addressed the convention.

President Lula closed the event with a speech lasting more than an hour. “What motivates a government to win elections is whether its legacy is worthy of trust and respect. Those who have delivered can promise more. Those who haven’t have nothing to promise. That is the logic of our campaign,” he said.

If elected, Lula will become the oldest person to serve as Brazil’s president at the age of 81.

The Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) has officially endorsed Lula da Silva’s reelection bid and vice-President Geraldo Alckmin’s candidacy for reelection as Lula’s running mate.

Alckmin joined the PSB in March 2022 and shortly thereafter joined Lula’s ticket for that year’s elections.

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The PSB-PT coalition was officially unveiled on Wednesday evening (Jul. 29) in Brasília. Lula’s candidacy will not be officially confirmed until next Sunday (Aug. 2) at the Workers’ Party (PT) national convention.

Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho is a physician specializing in anesthesiology and a university professor. He served as mayor of Pindamonhangaba (1977–1982), state representative (1983–1987), and federal representative (1987–1995), always representing São Paulo. He served as governor of São Paulo from 2003 to 2006, after serving as former Governor Mário Covas’s deputy from 1995 to 2001.

He ran for President of Brazil in 2006 and 2018. In 2022, he joined the PSB and was elected vice-president of Brazil on a ticket with Lula.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that Brazil’s public health care system, the SUS, serves as a global model by providing universal coverage to more than 200 million people.

The statement was made during a visit to the Andaraí Federal Hospital in Rio de Janeiro’s northern zone on Monday (Jul. 27), alongside President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Health Minister Alexandre Padilha, and state and municipal officials.

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The WHO director-general noted that few countries have a public health care system with such broad coverage.

“Brazil shows the world that it serves as an example. The Brazilian health system is universal and demonstrates that health care should be for everyone, not just for a few,” he said.

Ghebreyesus also praised Brazil’s role in the international health agenda, citing the global agreement on pandemics approved this year and the historic cooperation between the WHO and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz).

Hepatitis B

The director participated in the presentation of the dossier launching the international certification process for the elimination of vertical transmission of hepatitis B (from mother to child) as a public health problem in Brazil. The document was presented on World Hepatitis Day.

According to him, this achievement is the result of years of work by health professionals, researchers, and communities across the country.

“Once again, I thank Brazil for demonstrating that elimination requires discipline, not just slogans,” he pointed out.

Visit

Ghebreyesus’s visit to the Andaraí Federal Hospital took place during his trip to Brazil to attend the International Conference on HIV/AIDS and meet with the Ministry of Health to discuss strategies for disease elimination and ways to strengthen cooperation between the WHO and Brazilian institutions.

During the visit, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva highlighted that the revitalization of federal hospitals in Rio de Janeiro aims to transform these facilities into centers of excellence.

“There is no country on the planet with more than 100 million inhabitants that has a universal health system like our SUS,” Lula stated.

“The SUS works because the janitors, nurses, doctors, technicians, and all the workers had the courage to care for people. That is why we are strengthening the SUS,” he added.

The governments of Brazil and South Korea announced the creation of a working group aimed at advancing talks between South Korea and Mercosur – the economic bloc comprising Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, as well as other associate countries.

“We have decided to create a working group that will identify sensitivities on both sides and prevent them from becoming an obstacle to the resumption of negotiations on a Mercosur agreement with South Korea,” Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told the press Monday (Jul. 27), after welcoming South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung at the Alvorada presidential palace.

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The group will be coordinated by vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, Lula reported.

The South Korean president also highlighted the possibility of an agreement with Mercosur. In his view, the agreement will be beneficial both for his country’s industry and for Brazil in the Asian market as a whole.

The Asian leader cited “trade uncertainties” when discussing the agreement. Currently, Brazil is experiencing trade tensions with the US—one of its largest trading partners—due to tariffs imposed by the North American country. In this context, Jae-Myung stated that the partnership between Brazil and South Korea is urgent.

“At a time when there is so much uncertainty in the trade arena, the agreement between Brazil and Korea can no longer wait. It is needed now. We believe that the agreement between Mercosur and Korea will provide Korean companies with a greater opportunity to enter the South American market and bring a new perspective to the Asian market for Brazil, via Korea.”

The two countries signed trade deals in various areas, such as defense, education, and energy. Lula and Jae-Myung discussed critical minerals, and the South Korean president highlighted Brazil’s supply of this resource.

“As is well known, Brazil is one of the leading holders of critical minerals. And today, President Lula and I agreed to expand cooperation across the entire life cycle of critical minerals within the supply chain for these minerals. Through this agreement, we will create a stable supply base, strengthening mutual cooperation in a beneficial way.”

The South Korean president will also travel to São Paulo, where he is scheduled to visit a metalworkers’ union. Brazil is the country in Latin America that hosts the largest number of Koreans. And São Paulo is home to the largest Korean community in the country, with more than 50,000 people.

Further pacts

An accord was also signed to facilitate the exchange of experiences in educational policies and to foster closer ties between educational institutions in both countries.

In addition, Brazil and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding to establish cooperation between agencies for the exploration and undertaking of peaceful space activities.

In science and technology, an agreement was signed to promote cooperation in research, development, and innovation applied to the industrial sector.

In the area of sports, an agreement was signed to facilitate exchanges between athletes and experts, as well as to share experiences in public policy.

Sovereignty and Peace

In their statements, both heads of state expressed support for the peaceful resolution of conflicts. While Lula spoke of defending democracy in the face of attacks by extremists, Jae-Myung emphasized the importance of establishing peace.

“We have both known how to defend our democracies against attacks by extremist groups. We will continue to build a world governed by dialogue, respect among nations, and the strengthening of multilateralism,” Lula declared.

“I reiterate the Korean government’s strong belief that peace is essential for our security – without the need for conflict or war. And President Lula agrees with us on this point,” the South Korean leader stated.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira on Sunday (Jul. 26) recalled Argentina’s ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Raimondi, and conveyed to the foreign diplomat the Brazilian government’s condemnation of remarks made by Argentine President Javier Milei during the head of state’s visit to São Paulo.

“There is no precedent for a foreign president who, on Brazilian soil, hurls insults and offenses at the head of state, democratic institutions – including the judiciary – and the Brazilian people,” a note from the Foreign Ministry reads.

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In diplomacy, the act of recalling a foreign ambassador expresses dissatisfaction with the government he represents.

Milei came to Brazil to attend the launch of the presidential campaign of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party (PL), the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is in prison and has been convicted of attempting a coup d’état, among other crimes.

In his speech at the event, the Argentine president insulted President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by calling him, among other things, a “convict.” In addition, he called the Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes – the judge presiding over the onetime president’s coup case – a “bald piece of trash.”

In addition to summoning Argentina’s ambassador to Brazil, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry also recalled the Brazilian representative in Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli. A meeting between Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Bitelli is expected to take place in the coming days.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke for over an hour by phone on Sunday evening (Jul. 26). In addition to discussing the integration of national development projects, the leaders also addressed the formalization of a free trade zone involving the two countries.

The Brazilian government stated that the presidents “agreed on the importance of accelerating negotiations for a Mercosur–China agreement that includes the necessary levels of flexibility.”

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Expanding cooperation in strategic and high-tech areas – such as artificial intelligence, satellites, the processing of critical minerals, and the fertilizer trade – was a focus of the shared objectives outlined by the two presidents.

In addition to noting the positive trade balance between the two nations, Lula and Xi Jinping spoke highly of the results of ongoing bilateral initiatives, such as the visa waiver for short-term visits – in effect in both countries since May of this year – and the programs designed to deepen mutual understanding between Brazilians and the Chinese, promoted through the celebrations of the 2026 Brazil–China Cultural Year.

Global conflicts and their impacts on people’s lives, as well as global food and energy security, were highlighted by the two leaders as key challenges on the global agenda.

“The presidents expressed deep concern about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza,” the statement reads.

Lula and Xi Jinping also agreed that restrictions on free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait have harmful effects on the global economy.

The leaders highlighted the role of the Group of Friends of Peace – a diplomatic initiative led by the two countries at the UN, aimed at seeking a peaceful resolution to conflicts through dialogue among countries of the Global South – for ending the war in Ukraine.

Although they criticized the United Nations Security Council’s inability to respond adequately to conflicts, the presidents reiterated their commitment to defending multilateralism and their intention to act in a coordinated manner in international forums.

The US newspaper The Washington Post published an op-ed on Sunday (Jul. 26) by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticizing the US government’s tariff measures against Brazil. In the article, Lula challenged the arguments used to justify the tariffs, argued that such measures would also harm the US economy, and stated that “Brazil will not be defeated based on lies.”

The president also argued that Trump’s decision had an ideological component, claiming that it was intended to interfere in Brazilian politics and this year’s elections. The article was also shared on the president’s social media channels.

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“Attempts to impose ideological constraints on the bilateral partnership, or to instrumentalize it for electoral purposes, are unfounded. Never before has a US Secretary of State labeled Brazil an unfriendly country. No one will defeat us based on lies,” said Lula.

The Brazilian president was referring to remarks by Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State who, in early June, excluded Brazil from the list of US-friendly countries in Latin America.

In the article, Lula reiterated the argument the Brazilian government has made since the tariffs were announced in April 2025: that the US maintains a trade surplus with Brazil. He added that Brazil would seek new trading partners around the world.

“In the medium term, these tariffs will disrupt highly integrated production chains, and Brazilian companies will replace US suppliers with other partners,” the president emphasized.

“Strategic error”

On July 15, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) imposed a 25 percent surcharge on various Brazilian products.

The tariffs affected exports of iron and steel, apparel, footwear, sugar, ethanol, pharmaceuticals, agricultural machinery, non-aviation electrical machinery, and other manufactured goods.

The USTR justified the tariffs by arguing that certain Brazilian practices were unreasonable and burdened or restricted trade for US farmers, workers, innovators, and exporters. In his Washington Post op-ed, Lula countered the USTR’s position:

“Beyond being unfair, the new tariffs are a strategic error: they harm the US economy and the partnership with Brazil. Various US industrial sectors rely on Brazilian inputs. Food, footwear, textiles, furniture, auto parts, and many other products will reach US consumers at higher prices.”

Lula also defended Brazil’s efforts to combat deforestation, its legislation addressing crimes committed on social media, and Pix - the instant payment system used in Brazil. All of these issues had been criticized by the US government in recent months.

“We respect the sovereignty of other states and negotiate with all those who respect ours. Reciprocity is the foundation of every relationship between nations, and we have appropriate mechanisms to guarantee it,” the president concluded, reaffirming Brazil’s openness to dialogue.

Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned its ambassador to Buenos Aires, Julio Bitelli, for consultations after Argentine President Javier Milei made remarks targeting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

On Saturday (Jul. 25), Milei attended the Liberal Party (PL) convention in São Paulo, where Flávio Bolsonaro was officially nominated as the party’s presidential candidate.

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Milei’s speech included repeated attacks on his Brazilian counterpart, whom he criticized on more than one occasion. At one point, he referred to the Brazilian president as a “convict.”

Milei also targeted Alexandre de Moraes, a justice on Brazil’s Supreme Court, whom he called “bald trash” for not authorizing a visit to Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest.

In diplomacy, recalling an ambassador for consultations is a sign of discontent, marking a moment of tension and seriousness between two countries.

Civility

Supreme Court President Edson Fachin issued an official statement on Saturday (25) describing Argentine President Javier Milei’s remarks about Justice Alexandre de Moraes as a “disrespectful reference.”

“While reaffirming the full autonomy of the Brazilian Judiciary, the Supreme Court presidency deplores statements incompatible with the civility that should characterize relations between states,” Fachin said in the statement.