Argentina leader doubles down on calling Brazil's president a 'thief'
The libertarian Argentine leader made similar remarks during a speech in Brazil last weekend supporting Flavio Bolsonaro, Lula's right-wing opponent in the upcoming presidential election.
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on August 02, 2026 shows Argentina’s President Javier Milei speaking during the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 21, 2026, and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaking during an event to highlight accomplishments in the first two years in office in Brasilia on April 3, 2025. Argentine President Javier Milei reiterated accusations against his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on August 3, 2026, calling him a “thief” and “corrupt,” one week after his remarks sparked a diplomatic crisis between the two South American giants. (AFP)
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BUENOS AIRES — Argentina's President Javier Milei renewed his war of words against leftist Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday, after sparking a diplomatic spat last week by calling him a criminal.
"He's a thief, he's corrupt, he's been convicted of theft and corruption, he's been in prison, so it's true that we can call him a convict," Milei said of Lula during an interview on LN+.
The libertarian Argentine leader made similar remarks during a speech in Brazil last weekend supporting Flavio Bolsonaro, Lula's right-wing opponent in the upcoming presidential election.
Buenos Aires later sought to play down the spat with its largest trade partner, with presidential spokesperson Adrian Ravier saying it was a matter of "ideological and political differences."
Asked on Sunday why he had such aggressiveness towards Lula, Milei retorted: "Don't you think it's aggressive when someone steals from you? Calling a thief a 'thief' is far less serious than the act of stealing itself."
"They released him (Lula) because of an administrative error, not because he's innocent. Therefore, he's a thief and a corrupt official," the Argentine leader insisted.
Lula, who was previously president from 2003-2010, spent 580 days in jail beginning in April 2018 after being convicted in the sprawling Operation Car Wash anti-corruption probe.
He was freed after his conviction was overturned on procedural grounds, with the presiding judge also later ruled to have been biased.