Lula's Concise Response to Milei's Insults Amid Political Earthquake

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva responded on Monday with brief irony to statements made by his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei, who had called him a "convict" during a political event in São Paulo. "Who is that guy?" Lula replied when asked by reporters at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasília.

The response followed Milei's participation in a Liberal Party (PL) convention, where he endorsed the presidential candidacy of Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and launched harsh criticism against Lula and Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom he referred to as "bald garbage."

The Argentine president's remarks prompted an immediate reaction from the Brazilian government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Argentine ambassador in Brasília to demand explanations and recalled its own ambassador to Buenos Aires for consultations, marking a further escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two nations.

Meanwhile, Brazilian Finance Minister Dario Durigan also responded to Milei, calling him a "clown." Durigan asserted that Brazil displays superior economic indicators compared to Argentina, citing lower country risk, low inflation, historic low unemployment, and a record trade balance.

Prior to the party event, members of Lula's administration noted they had no objection to Milei's presence at a political function in Brazil, though they warned they would respond if the Argentine president launched attacks against Brazilian institutions, officials, or internal affairs.

The crisis deepened after Milei denounced that the Brazilian judiciary had prevented him from visiting former president Jair Bolsonaro—currently detained—and accused Moraes of acting out of vengeance. Following those comments, STF President Edson Fachin described the Argentine leader's expressions as "disrespectful" toward a magistrate of Brazil's highest court.

According to the Brazilian government, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Brazil's ambassador to Buenos Aires, Júlio Bitelli, held a meeting on Monday at the Itamaraty Palace to evaluate the deterioration of bilateral relations, G1 reported. The Foreign Ministry indicated that both officials will meet again once Vieira returns from Lima, where he will represent Lula at the presidential inauguration of Keiko Fujimori.

This latest dispute represents one of the highest points of tension between Brazil and Argentina since Milei took office. Since then, both leaders have engaged in repeated verbal clashes and maintained deep ideological differences, which have now formally escalated into a diplomatic conflict between both states.