Lula to Skip Argentina Inauguration in Snub to Milei

  • Incoming government invited Lula during November visit
  • Milei has softened stance on Brazil since election win

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Buenos Aires, Argentina, earlier this year. Lula has decided to skip Javier Milei’s inauguration.

Photographer: Anita Pouchard Serra/Bloomberg
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Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will skip Javier Milei’s inauguration in Buenos Aires, a sign that relations between the neighboring leaders are off to a frosty start despite the Argentine’s efforts to tone down his aggressive campaign criticism.

Brazil’s government confirmed Lula’s decision to pass on the Dec. 10 inaugural ceremony in a text message Tuesday, but did not elaborate on why he would not attend. Milei sharply criticized the leftist Brazil leader during Argentina’s campaign, calling Lula a “communist” with whom he wouldn’t deal in an interview with Bloomberg News.