Javier Milei's renewed attacks on Brazil's Lula spark diplomatic row
Argentina’s President Javier Milei again called Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a “thief” and “corrupt” in an LN+ interview on 2 August 2026, repeating accusations that Lula was convicted of theft and corruption and was released only because of a procedural error. Milei defended his remarks as spontaneous and framed them as a factual description.
The comments, made after Milei’s appearance at a Liberal Party event in São Paulo supporting Flávio Bolsonaro’s presidential bid, intensified an already tense diplomatic dispute. Brazil’s foreign ministry summoned the Argentine ambassador and called for consultations, while Brazil’s embassy in Brasília was recalled. Argentina’s foreign minister Pablo Quirno said Argentina would not break diplomatic relations with Brazil, and the Argentine ambassador in Brazil was summoned for explanations. Both sides exchanged diplomatic notes, but no severance of ties was announced.
Milei also reiterated his support for reforming the charter of the Central Bank of Argentina, arguing it would prevent future monetary financing of the state. The episode occurs amid upcoming elections in both countries and heightened ideological rivalry in the region.
Entities: Argentina · Brazil · Daniel Raimondi · Flávio Bolsonaro · Javier Milei · Julio Bitelli · Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 26 SOURCES] Javier Milei called Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva a thief and corrupt. (Milei called Lula a thief and corrupt in multiple LN+ interviews.)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Milei claimed Brazil invested one billion dollars in Sergio Massa's 2023 campaign. (Milei repeated the claim in the same interview.)
- [● 6 SOURCES] Lula described Milei's presence at the convention as a farce. (Lula described Milei's presence at the convention as a farce)
- [● 20 SOURCES] Brazil summoned the Argentine ambassador and called for consultations after Milei's remarks. (Brazil’s foreign ministry summoned Argentina’s ambassador and requested consultations.)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Milei defended a proposal to reform the charter of the Central Bank of Argentina. (Milei said the Central Bank charter reform would prevent future monetary financing.)
- [● 26 SOURCES] Milei said Lula was released due to a procedural error, not because he was innocent. (Milei claimed Lula’s release was a procedural flaw, not a sign of innocence.)
- [● 19 SOURCES] Milei attended a Liberal Party convention in São Paulo supporting Flávio Bolsonaro. (Milei was present at the Liberal Party event backing Bolsonaro’s candidacy.)
- [● 17 SOURCES] Argentina said it would not break diplomatic relations with Brazil. (Argentina’s foreign minister said relations would not be severed.)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Milei claimed Brazil invested US$1 million in a campaign against Argentina. (Milei made the allegation during his LN+ interview.)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Brazil's foreign ministry described Milei's remarks as unprecedented. (Brazil’s foreign ministry called the comments unprecedented.)
- [● 12 SOURCES] Lula responded to Milei’s remarks with irony, calling Milei’s presence a “patacada”. (Lula called Milei’s presence a “patacada” in an ironic reply.)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Milei made the statements during an LN+ interview on 2 August 2026. (Milei repeated his accusations in an LN+ interview on 2 August 2026.)