President Trump (left) and President Milei met in the United States on the 14th of last month (local time). AFP Yonhap News. Argentine President Javier Milei will not attend the Group of 20 (G20) summit to be held in South Africa at the end of this month, local dailies La Nación and Perfil, and broadcaster Todo Noticias reported on the 12th (local time).

AFP quoted a spokesperson for the Argentine presidential office as saying that Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno will represent the government.

Although the Argentine presidential office did not disclose the specific reason for President Milei's absence, this is a different move compared to his attempt to expand his influence by interacting with heads of state from major countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the G20 summit held in Brazil in November of the following year after taking office in December 2023.

Local media view that the background of this decision is related to US President Donald Trump's absence from the G20.

It is argued that the absence of US President Trump, who shares political inclinations with him and readily offers support to resolve severe economic difficulties, had an impact.

President Milei, nicknamed "Argentina's Trump," has frequently visited the United States to communicate actively with President Trump or his close associates, while adhering to a pro-US foreign policy to the extent that he has received critical evaluations of being "like a Trump envoy" at some international conferences.

Earlier, President Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social on the 7th that he would not attend this year's G20 meeting, claiming, "It's a disgrace that the G20 is held in South Africa."

There were also observations that President Milei's non-attendance appeared to have been decided suddenly internally.

Argentine daily Perfil pointed out, "Government officials were working on related tasks until late Monday (the 10th) on the premise of President Milei's attendance at the G20," adding, "We can only assume that [President Milei's non-attendance] was made with the United States in consideration."

Todo Noticias broadcast observed, "Argentina is consolidating its tendency for an individualistic, presidential-centric diplomacy," and noted, "This fully reflects the global trend of diplomatic policies being increasingly influenced by friendly bonds and personal relationships between national leaders."

This phenomenon was also observed at the 30th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30), which is being held in Belém, Brazil, until the 21st.

The United States did not send a federal-level delegation to the conference, and Argentina sent a delegation of about five people, an unprecedentedly small and "strictly composed" group.

US President Trump and Argentine President Milei are national leaders who view the climate crisis as a "hoax."

Yonhap News