Brazil will no longer represent Argentina in Venezuela, sources confirm

The government of Brazil has stopped acting as Argentina’s consular representation in Venezuela and withdrawn from the Caracas embassy, a diplomatic source confirmed to the Herald. Brazil had been providing consular and legal assistance to Argentine citizens in Venezuela since August 2024, when Buenos Aires and Caracas broke ties. Although no official information has been made public at the time of writing, the media reported that Italy would take on Brazil’s role. Tensions between Buenos Aires and Brasilia are growing, as Brazilian President Lula Da Silva will not travel to Asunción to sign the European Union-Mercosur trade deal on Saturday. Local media reported that Da Silva did not want to meet his Argentine counterpart, Javier Milei. A source in Brazil’s Foreign Ministry, usually referred to as “Itamaraty,” told the Herald that, in their view, “the different positions on the U.S. attack on Venezuela were the main motivation” for Lula’s snub. While Milei celebrated this month’s invasion and capture of then-President Nicolás Maduro, Da Silva said that the attack “crossed an unacceptable limit” and called on the United Nations to respond. “Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step to a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism,” Da Silva said. The Itamaraty source added that Da Silva could have decided not to attend to Asunción given “Brazil’s perception that, despite the extra work this demanded of our embassy in Caracas, Argentina never acknowledged our efforts,” referring to Milei’s repeated accusations that Da Silva is “in cahoots” with the Chavista administration. Despite not going to Asunción, Da Silva will meet on Friday in Rio de Janeiro with the presidents of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the European Council, António Costa, on the eve of the signing. Brazil took over Argentina’s embassy in Caracas after the Nicolás Maduro government gave Buenos Aires a 72-hour deadline to leave. The Milei administration had questioned the transparency of Maduro’s re-election that year and called the now-ousted president a “dictator.” The decision came while six members of the Venezuelan opposition who had requested political asylum were inside the embassy. They were extracted last year in a military operation led by the United States. Cover image: Strained smiles between Lula and Milei. Photo by Mariano Fuchila