Argentina’s President Javier Milei has fired his foreign minister, Diana Mondino, after a controversial United Nations vote. Here’s what happened.
Argentina recently voted to support a UN resolution asking the United States to lift its long-standing economic embargo on Cuba. This embargo, or trade ban, was put in place back in the 1960s to pressure Cuba, which had adopted communist policies, to abandon them. The embargo has continued for decades, and every year, the UN holds a vote to ask the U.S. to end it. This year, 187 countries supported the resolution, with only the U.S. and Israel voting against it. But, while many nations supported Cuba, this vote stirred up a big issue for Argentina.
President Milei has typically aligned closely with the U.S. and Israel. So when Argentina voted in favor of lifting the embargo on Cuba, it marked a sharp departure from the usual foreign policy line under Milei’s administration. Some political analysts think that Mondino, Argentina’s foreign minister, may have been behind the vote—a decision that clashed with Milei’s stance.
Immediately after the vote, Milei’s office announced Mondino’s replacement. She’s been succeeded by Gerardo Werthein, Argentina’s ambassador to Washington. Alongside the firing, Milei’s office released a powerful statement, emphasizing that Argentina stands “categorically opposed to the Cuban dictatorship” and intends to focus on values like “freedom, sovereignty, and individual rights” that align with Western democracies. This shift signals a new direction, moving away from the close ties Argentina previously had with Cuba under the former Peronist government, which had long backed lifting the embargo.
There were already rumors of growing tension between Milei and Mondino over foreign policy. Some say Mondino had acted as a bridge to smooth over Milei’s more confrontational approach to diplomacy. But, this UN vote appears to have been the final straw.
The Argentine government plans to go even further by auditing its Foreign Ministry, meaning it will investigate staff members who don’t fully support the president’s new direction. The press service emphasized the importance of finding those who may be promoting agendas that are “hostile to freedom,” a pointed statement that makes it clear Argentina is taking a hard line.
This vote and the fallout from it highlight a major shift in Argentina’s approach to foreign policy. Under Milei, the country seems to be moving away from old alliances, seeking instead to redefine its place on the global stage and take a strong stance against what it considers anti-democratic regimes.
