Milei confirms participation in the G20 – and meeting with Lula

President Javier Milei will attend the G20 leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro next month, guaranteeing a much-anticipated meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The leaders of South America’s largest economies have traded repeated verbal blows in recent years, with Lula snubming Milei’s inauguration in Buenos Aires last December and the Argentine leader skipping a key regional summit.

They have yet to spend time together at a formal meeting given the animosity between them, with Milei choosing not to attend the latest Mercosur meeting and sending Foreign Minister Diana Mondino in his place.

Milei – who branded Lula a “communist” and “corrupt” during his presidential election campaign last year – has described the Brazilian politician as a “leftist” with an “inflamed ego”, along with other insults.

Lula, who has not been shy about responding, says she is waiting for an apology from Milei for the “nonsense” expressed earlier.

“I have not spoken to the president of Argentina because I think he should apologize to Brazil and to me. He has said a lot of nonsense, I just want him to apologize,” he hit back.

However, the upcoming G20 summit is an opportunity to engage with key world leaders, including US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

It could also be a milestone for Mercosur, with diplomatic sources reporting that talks on the long-delayed free trade deal with the European Union are “very advanced”.

Local media reported on Tuesday that Lula hopes to unveil the final agreement at the November 18-19 event, with Argentina’s ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Raimondi, stating that an announcement could be made in Rio or at the next Mercosur summit, scheduled for December in Montevideo.

The upcoming G20 summit is likely to be dominated by the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already confirmed that he will not travel to Brazil for the event. China’s Xi, who has scheduled a meeting with Lula amid speculation that Brazil will join the Belt and Road Initiative, will attend.

According to reports, President Milei would like a brief handshake with Xi.

The Argentine leader hinted during his speech earlier this month that he could travel to Beijing for a more formal bilateral meeting next April, when the CELAC-China summit takes place.

That would mark a major turn for Milei, a once fierce critic of China who has been supportive of Beijing since taking office.

In a recent interview, he backtracked on earlier criticism and described China as an “interesting partner.”

“I was very pleasantly surprised by China. It is a very interesting trading partner because it doesn’t ask for anything, all they ask is that they don’t worry,” says Milei.

Mondino is expected to travel to Rio before Milei to attend G20 meetings of foreign ministers ahead of the arrival of world leaders. The head of Argentina’s G20 unit, Federico Pinedo, will accompany her.

Pinedo is one of those leading the drafting of the final communiqué that will be signed by all heads of state attending the Rio summit.

Milei’s ideological beliefs are likely to bring him into conflict with other world leaders at the G20 summit.

He has downplayed the impact of climate change, describing the theory as “socialist lies,” and has spoken out against efforts to increase the tax burden on the wealthy.

– TIMES/PERFIL