Argentina won’t retaliate after Brazil downgrades diplomatic ties

What the report says

Argentina said it will not take countermeasures after Brazil downgraded diplomatic relations, according to Al Jazeera’s report on Wednesday. The decision came after Brasilia shifted dealings with Buenos Aires to a charge d’affaires rather than a full ambassador, following a new round of insults by Argentine President Javier Milei aimed at Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Al Jazeera reported that Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said Buenos Aires would not retaliate diplomatically. Brazil’s move followed Milei’s television remarks in which he again described Lula in highly critical terms. Brazil’s ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, will not return to Buenos Aires, leaving ties at their lowest point since Milei took office in 2023. The two presidents have not held an official bilateral meeting during Milei’s term.

The dispute also reflects wider political tensions in the region. Lula, who is seeking another term in Brazil’s upcoming election, has framed the argument as a matter of national sovereignty and said outside actors should not interfere in Brazilian politics. Milei has supported the Bolsonaro family and appeared at a campaign launch for Flavio Bolsonaro last month. Al Jazeera noted that the row comes amid another separate diplomatic clash between Brazil and the United States.

More broadly, the episode shows how personal attacks between leaders can affect formal relations between neighboring countries, especially in a sensitive election period. The article attributes the developments to Al Jazeera, AFP and The Associated Press.