Brazil wants Argentine ambassador out: Buenos Aires

Brazil has asked Argentina's ambassador to leave the country, the foreign ministry in Buenos Aires said Tuesday, amid a diplomatic spat sparked by Argentine President Javier Milei's repeated insults directed at Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The Brazilian government also said it was downgrading its mission in Argentina to the level of charge d'affaires, Argentina's foreign ministry said in a statement.

The escalation in tensions comes two days after Milei doubled down on derogatory remarks about Lula.

"He's a thief, he's corrupt, he's been convicted of theft and corruption, he's been in prison, so it's true that we can call him a convict," Milei said of Lula during an interview broadcast Sunday on Argentine television.

The libertarian Argentine leader made similar remarks during a speech in Brazil last month supporting Flavio Bolsonaro, Lula's right-wing opponent in the upcoming presidential election.

Brazil recalled its ambassador to Argentina for consultations over Milei's speech, but Buenos Aires later sought to downplay the spat, with presidential spokesperson Adrian Ravier saying it was a matter of "ideological and political differences."

Lula, who was previously president from 2003-2010, spent 580 days in jail beginning in April 2018 after being convicted in the sprawling Operation Car Wash anti-corruption probe.

He was freed after his conviction was overturned on procedural grounds, with the presiding judge also later ruled to have been biased.

Lula returned to the presidency in 2023.