“We have fulfilled all election promises,” said Milei/na
President Javier Milei’s statements to CNN revived his project to form an international bloc of right and center-right leaders. The initiative, which has been circulating since the start of his administration, aims to create a regional alliance to counter the influence of left and center-left leaders in Latin America.
In the interview with journalist Andrés Oppenheimer, which will be broadcast in full on January 11, Milei confirmed that he is moving forward in a group of “ten countries” that share what he calls “the ideas of freedom.”
“We are trying to form a bloc in which our proposal is to embrace the ideas of freedom and stand up against the cancer of socialism in its various versions: the 21st century or the woke, not to mention the most extreme versions,” the president said.
Possible summit in Buenos Aires
At Casa Rosada, they point out that the issue has already been discussed with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, a key figure in Milei’s international strategy.
There is even talk of organizing a summit in Buenos Aires in 2026, either as part of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) or as a parallel event.
This case would allow like-minded Latin American leaders to come together to coordinate common positions on Venezuela, security, foreign policy and the defense of what they define as “Western values.”
First signs
In recent months, Javier Milei has shared political activities and gestures with several regional leaders of conservative or liberal orientation: Santiago Peña (Paraguay), José Raúl Mulino (Panama), Daniel Noboa (Ecuador), Rodrigo Paz (Bolivia), José Jeri (Peru), Nasry Asfura (Honduras, elected president), José Antonio Kast (Chile, takes office on March 11), Nayib Bukele (El Salvador), Rodrigo Chaves (Costa Rica) and Luis Abinader (Dominican Republic).
Several of these coincided with Milei in Oslo, during the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to María Corina Machado and at the recent Mercosur summit in Foz de Iguazú.
The government emphasizes that the majority have already signed joint statements criticizing Chavismo in Venezuela and supporting actions promoted by the US government in the Caribbean and Central America.
Contrasts with Lula
Milei’s initiative takes place in a regional context characterized by heterogeneous political forces. There are currently: eight right-wing or center-right governments with varying degrees of harmony with Washington. And seven governments of the left or center-left, including Brazil – with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva -, Mexico – with Claudia Sheinbaum – and Colombia – with Gustavo Petro -.
Milei did not maintain direct contact with Lula or Sheinbaum, but moderated the public statements he made to both in recent months. Trump, on the other hand, maintains active dialogue channels with Brazil and Mexico.
At the last Mercosur summit, Lula and Milei took opposing positions on the Venezuela crisis. While the Brazilian president warned of the risk of a “humanitarian catastrophe” in the event of a possible US armed intervention, Milei clearly supported Trump’s “pressure” on Caracas and once again described Nicolás Maduro as a “drug dictator.”
Background and limitations of the project
The proposal is reminiscent of previous conservative articulation initiatives in the region. Among them: the Lima Group, created in 2017 to put pressure on Venezuela; the failed founding of Prosur, promoted by Mauricio Macri, Sebastián Piñera and Iván Duque; the attempts by Lula and Alberto Fernández to reactivate Unasur, which were unsuccessful.
Analysts surveyed point out that a key difference is that Milei adheres more closely to the United States agenda than other conservative leaders, which could limit the bloc’s autonomy.
“The fact that Brazil, Mexico, Colombia or Canada, which were part of this Lima group, are not part of this group today already makes a difference. The influence would be less for the time being,” assessed Fulvio Pompeo, former minister for strategic affairs in the government of Mauricio Macri.
The government is looking forward to the 2026 electoral calendar. Presidential elections in Colombia – where Petro’s successor will be elected – and Brazil – where Lula is seeking re-election against Flavio Bolsonaro – could change the regional balance and increase the number of allies for Milei.
Meanwhile, Casa Rosada is seeking to consolidate the “culture war” narrative and push for a common policy framework with conservative governments, amid the possible institutionalization of the bloc in the coming months.
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