Brazil reduces diplomatic ties with Argentina to chargé d'affaires after Milei's remarks about Lula

Brazil has requested that Argentina withdraw its ambassador, according to Argentina's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday. The move follows a diplomatic clash sparked last week when Argentine President Javier Milei labelled Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a "thief" during an interview on the LN+ television channel.

In that interview Milei said Lula had been convicted of theft and corruption and imprisoned, and therefore could be called a convict. Brazil responded by saying it would reduce bilateral diplomatic representation to the level of chargé d'affaires. Brazil also recalled its own ambassador to Argentina for consultations, as Milei's remarks additionally targeted a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.

Argentina sought to play down the significance of the rift, with presidential spokesman Adrián Ravier describing it as a matter of "ideological and political differences." Milei, when asked on Sunday about his harsh language, said that calling someone who steals a thief is less serious than stealing itself. He also insisted Lula was released from prison due to an administrative error, not because he was innocent.

The Argentine leader made similar statements during a weekend visit to Brazil, where he expressed support for Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro and a right-wing rival to Lula in the coming presidential election. Flávio Bolsonaro enjoys Milei's full backing, as well as support from figures in Donald Trump's US administration and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.