Javier Milei to be inaugurated as Argentina’s next President

Javier Milei will be inaugurated as president of Argentina today.

His election marks a shift to the right, away from the traditional left-wing dominance of the country’s politics. Milei ran on a right-wing libertarian platform, promising to cut bureaucracy and reduce inflation. He also advocated for a pro-western and pro-Ukraine foreign policy—Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will also attend the inauguration. However, Argentina is unlikely to have the capabilities for large-scale assistance to Ukraine. as Argentina is experiencing record inflation and IMF-imposed restrictions on its state finances.

One field where Milei may have more success regarding assistance for Ukraine is the diplomatic front. Ukraine has largely struggled to gain support in the global south, with support coming from primarily Western countries and Japan. Milei’s Argentina may be able to use its diplomatic clout in organizations such as MERCOSUR to advocate for more support for Ukraine and within the wider developing world. Such a strategy may help to increasingly isolate Russia globally. Milei has also offered to host a peace summit between Latin American countries with Zelensky attending, which could influence other South American countries to take similar stances.