Milei meets with new US ambassador at Casa Rosada

President Javier Milei welcomed the new United States ambassador in Buenos Aires, Peter Lamelas, to the Casa Rosada on Monday, hosting him briefly for private talks.

Lamelas, 66, formally presented his diplomatic credentials to the President, a day after officially beginning his mission in Argentina.

The Cuban-born US diplomat arrived at Government House shortly after 5pm and left just over an hour later. The ceremony, attended by Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, also included the presentation of credentials by several other new ambassadors, Austria’s Gerhard Mayer, Belgium’s Hubert Raymond Cooreman, the European Union’s Erik Hoeg, the United Kingdom’s David Seldon Cairns and Switzerland’s Andrea Semadeni.

Following the group ceremony, Milei held a private meeting with Lamelas in his office. The new ambassador met with Foreign Minister Quirno at the Palacio San Martín on Monday.

Argentina’s government, under President Javier Milei, considers its relationship with the United States to be of paramount importance. Buenos Aires sees Washington as a strategic ally that can help it attract investment and support its plan of economic stabilisation. Within this framework, diplomacy is being repositioned as a central pillar of the administration’s narrative of “opening to the world.”

“Ambassador Peter Lamelas met today with President Javier Milei, presenting his credentials and reaffirming the United States’ commitment to further strengthening the relationship between our two countries, based on shared values and interests,” the US Embassy said on its official X account.

The talks came just hours before Milei’s trip to the United States – his 14th since taking office. The President departs for Miami tomorrow to attend the 2025 America Business Forum, staged at the Kaseya Center, which brings together leading figures from global politics and the worlds of sport, entertainment and culture.

According to the organisers, confirmed speakers include US President Donald Trump, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, Argentina’s national football team star Lionel Messi, former Google CEO and chairman Eric Schmidt, tennis legend Rafael Nadal, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, actor Will Smith, Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and a host of others.

Government sources said the President’s schedule is still being finalised, though a meeting with Trump is unlikely due to scheduling conflicts.

After his meeting with Lamelas, Milei also received evangelical preacher Franklin Graham at Casa Rosada.

Graham, who preached at Trump's first and second presidential inaugurations, is the current president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the evangelical relief organisation Samaritan’s Purse. He was joined by BGEA board member Melvin Graham, BGEA Latin America director Christopher Swanson, and Viktor Hamm, BGEA vice-president of Crusades.

Graham, who is performing two dates at the stadium of the Vélez Sarsfield football club this week, has faced criticism over previous remarks that homosexuality is an "abomination" and pushing "conversion therapy" treatment.

On Monday, Milei and several of his Cabinet officials participated in a prayer event with evangelical church leaders at the Casa Rosada – the first time a group of representatives from the faith had been invited to stage an event at Government House.

Officials from the Christian Alliance of Evangelical Churches of the Argentine Republic (ACIERA), which represents around 85 percent of such churches, led the service.

Prayers were offered for the country, officials and the churches, while demands were also voiced for improvements in the economy, justice, and education, and for success in the fight against drug-trafficking.

The representatives also prayed for Milei, asking God to give him "wisdom, courage and temperance to guide Argentina in difficult times."

– TIMES/NA/PERFIL