Brazil confirms its ambassador will return to Buenos Aires but sets no date

Thursday, July 30th 2026 - 16:26 UTC The crisis erupted when Argentine President Javier Milei spoke at the Liberal Party's national convention in São Paulo, where he backed Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential candidacy The Brazilian government confirmed that its ambassador to Argentina, Julio Glinternick Bitelli, will return to Buenos Aires after being recalled for consultations, without specifying when, in the first sign of de-escalation in the most serious diplomatic crisis between the two countries in decades. Sources at Itamaraty said the underlying decision has been taken and that the timing of the return will depend on how the bilateral climate evolves. Accounts differ, however, on the scope of that determination: while some reports hold that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has already given political authorization, others published the same Thursday indicate that Brasília will keep the diplomat away from Buenos Aires indefinitely, pending signs of moderation from the Argentine government. Bitelli, ambassador since 2023, arrived in Brasília on Monday and held two rounds of meetings with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, the second on Wednesday, followed by a meeting with Lula. The crisis erupted on Saturday, July 25, when Argentine President Javier Milei spoke at the Liberal Party's national convention in São Paulo, where he backed Flávio Bolsonaro's presidential candidacy for the October 4 election. In his speech he called Lula a convict and directed an insult about the physical appearance of Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who had denied him authorization to visit Jair Bolsonaro, imprisoned over the attempted coup. The following day, on Radio Mitre, Milei said the Brazilian government supplied 25% of the resources for an alleged campaign against Argentina waged on social media during the World Cup held in the United States, and extended the accusation to Mexico and the US Democratic Party. He offered no evidence for those claims, which remain unsubstantiated. Vieira described the episode as unprecedented and, in addition to recalling Bitelli, summoned Argentine Ambassador Daniel Raimondi. Lula issued a statement defending Brazil as a democratic and sovereign country and saying it is unacceptable for a foreign head of state to address Brazilian institutions disrespectfully. Other members of the Brazilian government responded with personal insults directed at the Argentine leader. The first conciliatory signal came from Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, who ruled out any break in relations. There is no chance relations will be broken from the Argentine side, he said, adding that his government holds Bitelli in the highest esteem and hopes for his swift return to continue the bilateral agenda. Officials in Brasília read those words as separating the two presidents' political differences from the state-to-state relationship. The antagonism dates back to 2023, when Lula publicly backed Sergio Massa during the Argentine campaign. Brazil is Argentina's main trading partner. According to the latest Datafolha poll, Lula leads by five points in a potential runoff.