Brazil recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultations after the Argentine president attacked his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, and described him as a “thief” and a “convict.”

Javier Milei made these statements on Sunday in Sao Paulo, where he went to launch the presidential campaign of right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, son of imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro.

The Argentine president referred to his Brazilian counterpart in a derogatory manner while speaking alongside Bolsonaro and asked Brazilian voters to "not let the future be stolen by thieving socialists."

“If in Argentina we have as an economic factor what we call the kuka risk (in reference to Kirchnerism), here in Brazil today they have the Lula risk and it is clearly reflected in the stock market,” declared Milei.

"But why is Lula threatened? Because there is someone who, as happened in Argentina, is willing to stand up to him and become the voice of that silent majority that has already suffered abuse. I am talking about Flavio Bolsonaro, son of my great friend, former president Jair Bolsonaro," he added.

Brazilian diplomats assured that the Argentine leader had insulted the Brazilian government, its people and its democracy.

In statements later on Sunday, Lula stated that he would continue to lead “without anyone's interference” and that “in Brazil we do not accept anyone sticking their nose where it does not concern them.”

The Brazilian ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, was scheduled to return to his country between Sunday and Monday, according to the AFP agency.

Milei, for his part, defended his actions and accused the Brazilian government of financing a campaign against Argentina, in apparent reference to the criticism directed at the country and its national team after the World Cup.

"Do you know who put the most money into this anti-Argentine campaign? The government of Brazil. 25% of the resources left Brazil and then those who also played a very active role in the 2023 (Argentine presidential) campaign come to talk about interference," he told Radio Miter.

“It is forgotten that the advisors of (Peronist candidate Sergio) Massa were a group of Brazilians that Lula sent,” he concluded.

The president also accused Mexico and the United States Democratic Party of being behind that campaign. “They are the progressive heads who do not want the ideas of freedom to work,” he said.

Also against the judges

But Milei not only attacked Lula, but also against the judge of the Brazilian Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, whom he described as “bald trash.”

The judge, who sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for planning a coup d'état in order to stay in power after losing the 2022 presidential elections to Lula, denied Milei permission to visit the former president, who is currently under house arrest in Brasilia.

“To make matters worse, the bald trash did not allow me to visit my unjustly imprisoned friend when I know that Lula got tired of receiving leaders from abroad when he was imprisoned, among them the disastrous former Argentine president Alberto Fernández,” he complained.

In 2018, Lula was sentenced to 12 years in prison for a massive corruption and bribery scandal, but was released after serving just over 18 months.

Lula's convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2021, and in the presidential election the following year, he narrowly defeated then-far-right President Bolsonaro, winning 50.9% of the vote.

In the presidential elections in October, Lula will face Flavio Bolsonaro, who is the son of the former president of Brazil, who will not be able to compete due to the conviction against him.

For now there are no reasons to suspect that diplomatic tensions will affect dynamic bilateral trade, which reached US$31,195 million in 2025, a record figure in 13 years, according to the Rosario Stock Exchange.

*with information from Toby Mann and Elettra Neysmith

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