Mercosur summit in Paraguay brings Lula and Milei together as Latin America sees a right‑wing shift

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil will attend the Mercosur summit in Asunción, Paraguay on June 30, alongside Argentine libertarian leader Javier Milei, Chilean conservative José Antonio Kast and Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa. The meeting will also host heads of state from Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and foreign ministers from Colombia, Chile and Panama, with special guests from the United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago, Germany and Uzbekistan. Organisers said the summit will discuss ongoing commercial agreements and will see Uruguay assume the block’s pro‑ tempore presidency.

In a related development, former U.S. President Donald Trump shared a Newsmax article on his Truth Social platform describing a “wave of political realignment” across Latin America and calling Brazil the “next big test.” The piece linked recent right‑wing victories in the region, such as Milei’s election in Argentina, to a broader pro‑Trump ideological current, and cited challenges in Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Brazil.

Both events highlight growing geopolitical and ideological competition in the Southern Hemisphere, with traditional left‑leaning governments confronting emerging right‑wing movements.