Brazil's ties deteriorate with US and Argentina

BRASILIA — Diplomatic tensions are flaring between Brazil and the governments of the United States and Argentina, as visas are being denied and ambassadors are caught in the crossfire.

"We cannot accept interference," Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in an interview on Wednesday, a day after the US announced it had revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador.

The US decision was "irresponsible and ill-advised", Lula told the Meteoro Brasil news outlet.

Speaking in the interview, Lula said the decision was unwarranted for two countries with over two centuries of diplomatic ties, adding that Brazil will not receive new ambassadors before its general elections scheduled for October.

The US Department of State announced the visa revocation on Tuesday in retaliation for Brazil's refusal last month to issue visas to two US officials, as well as its alleged delay in approving US President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Perez.

In response, Lula noted that Washington had shown little urgency regarding its diplomatic presence in Brazil, leaving its embassy without a chief representative for more than a year and a half.

"They expect us to act on their timeline? That is neither fair nor acceptable. We demand to be treated with respect," Lula said.

The Brazilian government on Tuesday strongly condemned the US State Department's decision to alter the visa status of Brazil's ambassador to Washington, calling the reasons cited by the United States "false".

Relations between Brasilia and Washington have blown hot and cold for months as Lula and Trump have clashed over topics, including tariffs.

Meanwhile, Brazil this week recalled its ambassador and downgraded diplomatic ties with Buenos Aires.

Brazil told Argentina its relations will be handled at the charge d'affaires level, the Argentine government announced on Tuesday. The incident occurred after Argentine President Javier Milei again insulted Lula.

Sharp decline

"This decision remains in effect as long as Javier Milei's attacks on Brazilian democratic institutions persist," a source at Brazil's foreign ministry said on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has ruled out harsher measures for now, such as a full severance of diplomatic representation, according to media reports.

The Argentine foreign ministry on Tuesday expressed regret over the Brazilian move, which it attributed to "purely ideological reasons".

But its Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno said on Wednesday during a news conference that Argentina will not take diplomatic action in response to Brazil downgrading diplomatic ties.

The move marks a sharp deterioration in ties between the two countries, whose presidents have not held an official bilateral meeting since Milei took office.

During a media interview on Sunday, Milei said Lula was a "thief" and "corrupt".

His similar insulting remarks before had already chilled relations between the two neighbors. On July 25, Milei insulted Lula at a political event in Brazil's southeastern city of Sao Paulo. He was there to support the presidential candidacy of Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro who is currently serving a 27-year jail term for plotting a coup after losing his reelection bid in 2022.

On July 26, Brazil recalled its ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, in protest.

Amid the latest diplomatic tensions, Uruguayan Foreign Minister Mario Lubetkin said on Wednesday that the diplomatic crisis between Argentina and Brazil is "bad news" for the Southern Common Market, or Mercosur, and expressed hope that the two governments would resume dialogue to ease tensions.

Lubetkin said the deterioration in relations between Mercosur's two largest members hurts not only Brazil and Argentina, but also Uruguay and Paraguay.

"We see it very badly, certainly. This doesn't help anyone," he told reporters in Montevideo.

He said tensions within Mercosur make the bloc's work more difficult during an important semester, as Uruguay currently chairs both Mercosur and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, and is leading a trade negotiation agenda.

Lubetkin said he hoped both governments would find state-level channels for dialogue to lower tensions and move forward.

Asked about possible Uruguayan mediation, he said Montevideo was willing to help if requested, but that no mediation effort was currently underway.

XINHUA-AGENCIES