Milei vows purge of ‘traitors’ after vote backing Cuba at UN

President Javier Milei is promising to conduct a deep purge of Argentina’s diplomatic ranks after the nation voted to condemn the US embargo on Cuba at the United Nations.

“Every person involved in that decision, I’m ready to fire them all,” Milei said Monday in a televised interview. “I think they are traitors to the country.”

The routine vote cost Diana Mondino her job as foreign minister last week because it flew in the face of the global alignments with the United States and Israel that Milei had laid out during last year’s election campaign, he explained.

Mondino ran on the libertarian economist’s ticket and played a key role in dialling back tensions between Milei and key trade partners like Brazil, China and Spain. The President swiftly replaced Mondino with businessman Gerardo Werthein, who was Argentina’s ambassador to the US and a close ally of the President’s family.

“The unforgivable error that Minister Mondino committed the other day cost her the job in 30 minutes,” Milei said.

The Argentine leader made good on his word later Monday as Werthein sought resignations from at least seven senior diplomats, according to a report Monday by Clarín newspaper.

Earlier Monday, Milei labelled diplomats as parasites who are “in love with the bureaucracy.”

“That’s the woke agenda within the 2030 pact,” he added, referring to a broad set of sustainability goals adopted by the UN a decade ago.

It wasn’t the first time Milei has railed against the international community’s push for gender equality, environmental sustainability and inclusive growth. Under the president’s direction, Argentine negotiators refused to sign a statement in October on women’s empowerment that had the support of all other Group of 20 nations, angering leaders set to meet in Rio de Janeiro later this month.

Monday’s interview was conducted by Milei’s girlfriend, talk show host Amalia ‘Yuyito’ González. They spent much of the rest of the broadcast discussing Milei’s passion for music and singing along to some of his favourite songs.