Brazil recalls Argentina ambassador after Milei calls Lula a 'thief' and 'convict'

Brazil recalled its ambassador to Argentina on Sunday, a day after President Javier Milei used a campaign rally in Brazil to call President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a "thief" and a "convict." Milei made the remarks while formally endorsing Flavio Bolsonaro's presidential bid, flying to Brazil specifically for the launch event.

In his speech, Milei framed the election as a choice against what he called the "Lula risk," urging Brazilian voters to reject leftist candidates he cast as a threat to economic stability. Lula's Workers' Party swiftly condemned the comments as an unacceptable interference in Brazil's domestic politics by a foreign head of state.

The diplomatic rupture adds to months of friction between the two South American neighbors, whose leaders have traded barbs over economic policy and regional alignment. Brazil's foreign ministry said the ambassador's recall would remain in place while it assesses the broader fallout from Milei's remarks.