Argentine President Javier Milei had not publicly congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his reelection by Monday morning, La Nación reported, despite the neighbors’ close trade ties.
Brazil’s Tribunal Superior Eleitoral (TSE) announced Sunday that Lula defeated Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro in the runoff. Chilean President José Antonio Kast said he had spoken with Lula and congratulated him. Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz also congratulated Lula in public posts.
Brazil was Argentina’s largest goods-trade partner in the first nine months of 2026, Argentine government data show. Brazil and Argentina are also Mercosur’s largest economies.
Clarín reported Monday morning that neither Milei nor Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno had issued a public statement on the result. Milei met his cabinet at the Casa Rosada that morning, MercoPress reported.
Milei supported Bolsonaro during the campaign. In a preelection post about Lula, he called the Brazilian president a “leftist thief” and suggested without evidence that Lula might steal the election. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry accused Milei of interfering in the election after the post.
Relations between the presidents were strained before the runoff. Brazil recalled its ambassador from Buenos Aires for consultations in July after earlier insults from Milei, MercoPress reported.
Bolsonaro has refused to recognize Lula’s victory. In remarks after the runoff, he said he would ask a court to annul the result.
