Blinken praises Milei but sets limits on his relationship with Trump

The North American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, made clear this Friday in Buenos Aires the intention of Joe Biden's government to support Argentina and have a close relationship with Javier Milei, although the United States also set subtle limits for the new Argentine president in the face of to his visit to the ultra-conservative CPAC conference this Saturday in Washington.

“I am extremely pleased on behalf of President Biden with the meeting we just had with President Milei and so many members of his cabinet,” said Blinken in the Argentine capital, where he arrived after the G20 Foreign Ministers' Summit held on Wednesday and Thursday in Rio de Janeiro. “From my point of view it was incredibly positive, productive, detailed.”

“We see extraordinary opportunities in Argentina, Argentina has what the world needs, we want to be partners with Argentina as it helps feed and provide energy to the world. And the work that is being done to stabilize the economy is absolutely vital, we want to do whatever is necessary to help them,” added the head of US diplomacy.

There was expectation in Buenos Aires for what Blinken could say ahead of Milei's trip this Friday to Washington to participate in the CPAC on Saturday, where he will meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and could potentially meet with former North American President Donald Trump, Biden's rival in the presidential elections in November of this year.

“I cannot speak about his program and his future meetings,” said Blinken before once again praising the ultraliberal who has governed Latin America's third-largest economy since December 2023.. Not talking about what a president does implies, in turn, the claim that this president, Milei, does not refer to what others do in the internal politics of his country, in this case Biden and Trump.

Local media such as “Clarín”, signed by the influential columnist Marcelo Bonelli, pointed out that “the United States is not going to help Milei if the president 'plays the internal game' of Washington in favor of Trump”. “Ambassador Marc Stanley already had a private dialogue with Milei, about his participation in the conservative Convention. Milei made a commitment to the ambassador: 'In the forum I will not talk about internal politics of the United States.'”

Milei needs the support of the United States to obtain fresh money from the IMF, a figure important enough to advance the main promise of his electoral campaign: the dollarization of the devastated Argentine economy.

This same week, the “number two” of the IMF, Gita Gopinath, visited Buenos Aires and, according to Bonelli, left two messages for Milei: “The IMF does not want dollarization and made an allusion that the flirtation with Donald makes noise in Washington. Trump.”

Blinken did not reveal the United States' position on the dollarization of a medium-sized economy such as Argentina's, a step far superior to the dollarization faced by small countries such as Panama, Ecuador or El Salvador.

“Dollarization depends on Argentina, of course we hope to discuss a plan, but it is Argentina's decision. And we support Argentina's agreement with the IMF, which can be a very important anchor.”

Milei has already demonstrated fierce pragmatism: after years of devoting all kinds of insults to Pope Francis, the first Argentine and Latin American to become head of the Catholic Church, he embraced him and admitted having been wrong in his assessments.. If not sharing a meeting or even a photo with Trump helps him advance his objectives, it is likely that the Argentine head of state will avoid seeing the Republican.

Blinken, who appeared at a press conference with his counterpart, Diana Mondino, also spoke about the hottest topics of the moment: Ukraine and Israel. “I have been doing this job for more than 30 years and I can't think of any other time in the world with such extremely complex challenges,” warned Blinken, who once again rejected that the Israeli operation in Gaza is a “genocide,” as the president denounced. from Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

“We have been clear about the Uyghurs, Rohinggas and other cases. Very recently the International Court explained why this is not the case in the Gaza case. Leaving that aside: we are determined that the conflict in Gaza ends as soon as possible so that October 7 does not happen again, but neither does the suffering of the Palestinians.. We are focusing on freeing the hostages and achieving a ceasefire. And lasting peace for all.”

“There should be no Israeli reoccupation of Gaza, the size of Gaza cannot be reduced. There is a group of countries that is working on a plan. The new settlements are not consistent with achieving lasting peace or with international law. They weaken and do not strengthen Israel's security,” emphasized the head of the State Department.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, which this Saturday marks two years, he insisted that “Russia's aggression is against the principles of the international system.”. “There will be a growing and long-term impact on Russia, its ability to modernize its production and industries. “More than a million people, many of the most educated in science and technology, have left Russia, and that will have a strong impact in the long term.”

Blinken also referred to the suspicious death of opponent Alexei Navalny in a prison in northern Russia.. “We are taking strong measures against Russia after the death of Navalny and on the second anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. We are also acting specifically against three people involved in Navalny's death.. What I saw during my time in Munich and in Brazil was indignation at what Russia has done to Mr. Navalny. “It is important that the House of Representatives approve financing for Ukraine in order to continue resisting Russian aggression so effectively.” .