The unprecedented trade and military deal would bypass Mercosur, reports say
Argentine President Javier Milei intends to announce a new pact with the US while visiting President-elect Donald Trump at his Florida residence, according to the media in Buenos Aires.
The Libertarian politician has made major cuts to Argentina’s government apparatus in less than a year since he’s been president. He arrived at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday for an investor event scheduled to run till Saturday.
In his speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) investor summit, Milei is expected to call for the formation of a “league of conservative nations,” according to Argentine media reports. He reportedly wants a pact with the US committing to “freedom of trade and military cooperation.”
Milei hopes that Trump’s victory in the US presidential election last week will make it easier for Argentina to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over $44 billion worth of debt, reports said. Economy Minister Luis Caputo has said he would like a $10 million disbursement to strengthen Central Bank reserves and remove capital controls.
Argentina is interested in forging closer ties between the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and its State Intelligence Secretariat (SIDE).
Earlier this week, Milei praised Trump for “copying our model” for slashing government bureaucracy, revealing that his Deregulation and State Transformation Minister Federico Sturzenegger had been in touch with tech billionaire Elon Musk “to see how to deregulate the US economy.”
Trump recently named Musk to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an extra-governmental agency tasked with cutbacks and reforms in Washington, with a mandate through July 4, 2026. Milei and Musk are reportedly supposed to meet in Florida.
Milei’s trade pact with the US would be a body blow for Mercosur, the Southern Common Market organization that includes Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The bloc is currently attempting to negotiate a trade deal with the EU.
Following his trip to Mar-a-Lago, Milei is scheduled to host French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday in Buenos Aires, attend the G20 Leaders Summit in Brazil on Monday, and fly back to Argentina to host Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni next Wednesday.
On Thursday, after speaking with Trump, Milei recalled his delegation from the UN climate conference (COP29) in Azerbaijan.
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