While Javier Milei was strengthening ties with Donald Trump, Kicillof was aligning himself with leaders of continental communism in NYC
During his speech at the meeting “In Defense of Democracy: Combating Extremism,” Kicillof took the opportunity to attack Javier Milei's successful government: “Milei's Argentina is a true case study, not to mention for us, who are living through this bizarre situation, it's a true national embarrassment.”
He did not limit himself to the economy: he again targeted the judiciary by defending the infamous convicted Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. “We demand here that the unjust conviction of our comrade Cristina be lifted,” he demanded, adding that “democracy is formal and empty when it fails to achieve equality, equity, and rights for the popular majorities.”
Meanwhile, in a striking contrast, Milei was meeting in parallel with Donald Trump, who praised him for facing “the total disaster he inherited” and for his “courage to rescue Argentina.” In addition, the libertarian president received strong financial support from the United States Treasury, which marked the difference between the two leaderships.
While Milei strengthens strategic ties and international credibility, Kicillof is photographed with symbols that harm the Argentine sovereign cause and surrounds himself with presidents of the continental left. The misstep with the Chilean flag once again exposed the diplomatic clumsiness of the Buenos Aires governor, who sought to project himself on the international stage but ended up sending a contradictory message regarding national interests in Antarctica.
The governor of Buenos Aires Province, Axel Kicillof, once again found himself at the center of international controversy after posing in New York with Chilean President Gabriel Boric, displaying the official flag of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctic Region, adopted in 1997 and which includes within its territorial scope the Antarctic area that Argentina claims as its own.
The image was interpreted as a symbolic affront to national interests and a gesture of condescension toward Chilean claims in the dispute over Antarctic sovereignty. The episode took place during his participation in the “counter-summit” of left-wing Latin American leaders, where Kicillof met with dictator Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro, Yamandú Orsi, Pedro Sánchez, and Boric himself.
The provincial leader traveled accompanied by his Minister of Government, Carlos Bianco, and remained outside his district while Vice Governor Verónica Magario was in charge of the Buenos Aires executive branch. According to journalist María Belén Robledo, the delegation also sought to “explore various possibilities for cooperation” for the province, although the flag episode overshadowed any diplomatic efforts.
