The leader of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, stated this Tuesday that he does not plan to meet with the president of Argentina, Javier Milei, during his new visit to Spain for the XXX Ibero-American Summit, which begins this Wednesday in Madrid, and stressed that the leaders attending that event must respect the head of state and Spain.
At an informative breakfast organized by Europa Press, Feijóo affirmed: "Mr. Milei can come to a summit that is presided over by the head of state, therefore, I understand that the leaders who come are leaders who respect the head of state of our country and who respect our country".
The popular leader made these statements after the Argentine president's last visit to Spain, when Milei launched serious insults against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, whom he even called a "dictator", among other grievances. Sánchez then responded with a message on the social network X, in which he resorted to a song by an Argentine artist at odds with Milei who parodies him as a "fanatic", and in which he wrote: "Taking advantage of the fact that I'm in the car, on the way to Burgos, to listen to this great Argentine song. I love it!".
Aprovechando que voy en el coche, camino de Burgos, para escuchar este temazo argentino. ¡Me encanta! https://t.co/9cSwKtlIyz https://t.co/1hLDty7FUF
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) October 21, 2026
Criticism of Sánchez for foreign policy
Feijóo has reproached the President of the Government for using foreign policy to "maintain the electoral coalition" and to "improve his partisan position". According to him, "this is the problem of Spain's foreign policy, that foreign policy has not been made and the country's interests have not been defended", and he has warned that this situation "cannot continue to happen".
The president of the Popular Party has also rejected that foreign relations be mixed with personal or partisan interests. "If Mr. Milei comes to a rally that a party invites him to and criticizes me and I am the President of the Government, it would never occur to me to break diplomatic relations with Argentina. But how can I bring my partisan or personal issues into foreign relations?", he asked.
Asked if Milei's presence in Spain could harm the PP and favor the left, Feijóo replied that he does not make "electoral calculations about legitimately elected presidents in sister countries", and insisted that he "loves" Argentina "very much", a country he has visited "many times" and which he considers "a sister country".
The controversy with Delcy Rodríguez in the middle of the Ibero-American Summit
In the same act, Feijóo assured that what the Government "is trying" is for the president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez, "not to come" to Spain. "I understand it, although what they are saying is that it is she who does not want to come, do not believe it", warned the opposition leader.
The Venezuelan leader, who is subject to European Union sanctions, will not finally attend the Summit, although the Executive has admitted that these sanctions could have been lifted to allow her presence in Spain. However, according to the Government, the internal context and a delicate political situation after the departure of Nicolás Maduro earlier this year, captured by US soldiers, have also weighed in.