Overview
- Brazil formally notified Argentina that it will no longer represent its interests in Caracas, and Argentina arranged for Italy to assume the role.
- Reporting attributes the decision directly to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, citing anger over Javier Milei’s recent social-media post tied to Venezuela.
- Brazil had taken over Argentina’s representation on August 1, 2024 after harassment of the Argentine embassy in Caracas and the expulsion of its diplomats, an arrangement Venezuela later sought to revoke.
- The move highlights a severe downturn in Argentina–Brazil ties with potential repercussions for Mercosur negotiations and for energy cooperation, including planned Vaca Muerta gas exports to Brazil.
- Lula had already distanced himself from Caracas by refusing Maduro’s participation at a BRICS summit in 2024, and diplomatic sources from Brazil and Mexico denied a separate claim about a blocked CELAC statement on U.S. interference.