Spain summons Argentinian ambassador after Milei attacks Sánchez govt

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has summoned the Argentinian ambassador in Madrid after Argentinian President Javier Milei verbally attacked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his wife, Albares said on Monday.

Argentina's ultra-liberal leader Milei attended an election rally organized by the Spanish right-wing populist party Vox for the European elections in Madrid on Sunday, where he sharply criticized Sánchez's left-wing government and described the premier's wife, Begoña Gómez, as "corrupt."

In an initial reaction to Milei's outburst, Sanchez said: "What we saw yesterday in Madrid shows the danger that this right-wing extremist international poses for societies like ours, in which democracy is based on the pillars of economic progress, social justice and coexistence."

Respect was essential even in relations between governments that were of different ideological opinions, he said.

Albares earlier told state broadcaster RTVE that a "public apology" had been demanded from Milei, or measures would be taken. Madrid has already recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires for consultations and "for an indefinite period."

According to RTVE and other local media, Madrid is considering breaking off diplomatic relations over the incident. A government spokesman in Buenos Aires initially ruled out an apology.

Albares accused Milei of "interfering in Spain's internal affairs," and said that "a foreign head of state does not visit a country to insult its institutions."

On Sunday, Spain's top diplomat had spoken of a "frontal attack on our democracy, on our institutions and on Spain."

At the rally in Madrid, attended by around 11,000 participants from Europe, the US and Latin America, Milei was celebrated like a "rock star," according to the newspaper El Mundo and other media.

During his speech, the Argentinian president, who describes himself as an "anarcho-capitalist," said we must say "no more to damned and cancerous socialism." He also claimed that Socialism leads "to slavery or death," and that social justice is "always unjust."

The meeting was also attended by leading far-right, right-wing populist and national conservative politicians from abroad, including Marine Le Pen from the French party Rassemblement National, Portugal's André Ventura from the right-wing populist party Chega and the Israeli minister for social equality, Amichai Chikli.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni joined in via video link and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán sent a message in which he described the European Parliament elections from June 6 to 9 as "a great common fight" against a Europe that promotes "mass illegal migration."