President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to attend the Dec. 10 inauguration of the recently elected president of Argentina, Javier Milei, the Argentine news outlet TN reported on Dec. 7.
Milei, a far-right libertarian lawmaker, won Argentina's presidential election on Nov. 19 after a campaign in which he said he would seek to reduce ties to Russia and China, among other policy views that represented a break from the outgoing President Alberto Fernandez.
Milei gained international attention for his incendiary comments and radical views, such as legalizing the sale of human organs and completely removing all gun laws. He has been compared to former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Milei has also expressed support for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. He wore a Ukrainian flag pin in parliament in March 2022 and said, "Those of us who defend the ideas of freedom cannot tolerate or accept an invasion like Russia has done to Ukraine."
Milei also criticized the government of Argentina, characterizing its position towards the war as "weak" and saying that it is "complicit with the worst dictatorships in the land."
There has been no official statement from Zelensky's office about the proposed visit to Argentina at the time of this publication.
TN said that Zelensky's attendance at the inauguration would be a "strong political gesture to the region" and added that the fact he was invited represented a "clear gesture from Milei to Ukraine."
It would be the first time Zelensky has visited Latin America since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Nate Ostiller
(Updated: )
