President Javier Milei will travel to Miami this Saturday to participate in a high-level regional security summit convened by US President Donald Trump, another foreign trip on his increasingly active diplomatic agenda.
The meeting will take place at Trump National Doral Miami, the US President’s golf resort in Doral, Florida, and is being presented by Washington as part of the broader “Shield of the Americas” initiative aimed at deepening cooperation on security, migration and organised crime across the Western Hemisphere.
The summit comes amid heightened global tension due to the ongoing military escalation in the Middle East, sparked by the United States and Israel launching air strikes on Iran that killed, among others, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Argentina raised its security alert level last Saturday on orders from Milei after the first US and Israeli bombing raid.
The Security Ministry reinforced surveillance at strategic locations, including the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires and other institutions of the Jewish community, citing the precedent of past terrorist attacks in the country.
Washington has described the Miami gathering as an opportunity to “promote freedom, security and prosperity” across the region and strengthen cooperation among like-minded governments.
The meeting will bring together a group of leaders broadly aligned with Washington, while major regional powers such as Brazil, Mexico and Colombia are not expected to participate.
As well as Milei, several Latin American leaders have been invited to attend, including Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz, Costa Rica’s President Rodrigo Chaves, the Dominican Republic’s President Luis Abinader, Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, Honduras’ President Nasry Asfura, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino, Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña, Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Chile’s president-elect José Antonio Kast, who takes office next week.
The initiative is also seen as part of Washington’s broader effort to counter China’s expanding economic and strategic presence in Latin America, particularly in sectors such as energy, infrastructure and critical minerals.
Ahead of the trip, Milei underscored Argentina’s alignment with Washington’s strategic priorities during his March 1 opening address to Congress. He also received US Ambassador Peter Lamelas at the Quinta de Olivos presidential residence.
After the Florida summit, the President is scheduled to continue on to New York for Argentina Week, a forum bringing together investors, banks and business leaders to showcase the country’s economic and financial outlook. The event runs from March 9 to 12.
Milei may also attend Kast’s inauguration on March 11 on his way back to Argentina.
The visit will mark one of more than a dozen trips to the United States by the Argentine leader since he took office.
In his speech to Congress last weekend, Milei called for Argentina to make its “strategic alliance” with the United States a “state policy.”
The La Libertad Avanza leader said “the South Atlantic is the strategic battleground of the coming decades,” arguing Argentina must become a “player” in the region.
“Trade routes, natural resources, maritime sovereignty and the growing presence of actors who do not share our values. Whoever controls it will control a key part of global trade. Argentina has to be that actor,” he argued.
“We must create the century of the Americas: Make Americas Great Again, from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego,” declared Milei.
“We have the critical minerals that the West needs. We have the energy — gas, oil, nuclear power and renewable energy — to supply large-scale production chains.”
He also highlighted Argentina’s geographical position at the southern tip of the continent, noting that the country has “access to two oceans and a presence in Antarctica.”
– TIMES/NA/AFP
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