BRAZIL SUMMONS ARGENTINA'S AMBASSADOR AFTER MILEI'S ATTACKS ON LULA

Brazil's foreign ministry summoned Argentina's ambassador Julio Bitelli to Brasilia after President Javier Milei delivered inflammatory remarks about Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during a political convention in São Paulo on Saturday. Milei used the speech to denounce what he described as the "tragedy of socialism" in Latin America, singling out Lula and Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes for criticism. The Argentine leader praised Liberal Party presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, saying "there is no one else capable of stopping Lula" and urging him to prevent what Milei called "socialist rubbish" from taking hold.

Milei also criticised de Moraes for prohibiting him from visiting former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence in Brasilia for leading a 2022 coup attempt. Milei called Bolsonaro "unjustly imprisoned" and described himself as a declared ally of the Bolsonaro family. Flavio Bolsonaro, Jair's son, launched his formal candidacy at the convention, framing the election as "a fight between good and evil" against Lula's administration.

Brazilian Workers' Party president Edinho Silva responded to Milei's remarks on social media, stating that whilst no public authority in Brazil is above criticism, it is "unacceptable for a foreign head of state to come to our country and address its constitutional powers in disrespectful terms." Bitelli was instructed to meet with Brazilian leaders on Sunday or early Monday, according to diplomatic sources. The summoning marks an escalation in tensions between the two South American neighbours over their respective political leadership.