President Javier Milei will travel to the United States again this month before heading to Switzerland for his second appearance at the World Economic Forum.
Milei, 54, made 18 trips abroad last year, travelling more than 250,000 kilometres on planes and if January is representative of the following 11 months, he will make a similar amount in 2025.
Argentina's self-described "anarcho-capitalist" leader will travel to the United States this month to attend US president-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in Washington DC.
He will then head to Switzerland to make a second appearance at the annual World Economic Forum at the Alpine resort of Davos.
Milei's trip to Washington for the inauguration, scheduled for January 20, comes at Trump’s personal invitation. The historic event at the US Capitol will be attended by a number of prominent right-wing leaders, such as Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.
Beyond the formalities of the presidential inauguration, Milei wants to strengthen bilateral relations and secure US support for a new loan and credit programme from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Accompanying him in Washington will be his sister, Presidential Chief-of-Staff Karina Milei, Economy Minister Luis 'Toto' Caputo and Foreign Minister Gerardo Werthein.
The presidential agenda will also involve discussions about a potential free-trade deal between Argentina and the United States. Milei wants to push ahead with this desire, with or without the support of its fellow Mercosur members, which requires its partners to negotiate together as a unified bloc.
Trump's inauguration also presents an ideal opportunity for another bilateral meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping.
Strengthening ties with Beijing could open doors to strategic agreements on topics ranging from bilateral trade to investments and broader cooperation.
Following the US visit, Milei’s delegation will head directly to Switzerland for the annual World Economic Forum event in Davos.
The event is due to begin on January 24, but the date of Milei’s likely address at the annual gathering of business leaders, executives, international organisations and politicians has yet to be set. The theme of this year’s event, spearheaded by its 86-year-old founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab, is “collaboration for the intelligent age."
A key date during the Davos trip for Milei will be a meeting with IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
Argentina's government, which is seeking a new credit programme, is hoping to ramp up negotiations over a potential fresh funding line of some US$10 billion to US$15 billion to bolster Central Bank reserves. Argentina faces significant external debt maturities this year and wants to eliminate currency controls.
Although no formal date has been announced, Ukraine is also on Milei’s travel wishlist.
His government contacted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week and the two leaders discussed economic and security cooperation, as well as ties with the Mercosur trade bloc.
Zelenskyy took the opportunity to thank Milei for Argentina's support and extended an informal invitation to visit.
Milei on tour
Last year, President Milei covered over 274,000 kilometres across the globe and spent 56 days abroad. His first destination in 2024 was Davos, Switzerland, where he attended last year's World Economic Forum from January 15 to 19.
The United States has been the President’s most frequent destination, with seven visits to date during his first term in office. Stops last year included Washington, Miami, Texas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Idaho, New York, and Florida. According to Casa Rosada, these trips were to deliver speeches and participate in forums, allowing Milei to network with key business figures and attend conferences.
Milei's passport stamps should also show a trip to Brazil, where he briefly met his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at a G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro. However, their encounter was limited to a quick, grumpy greeting and a protocol photo, with no formal bilateral meeting between the trading partners.
According to public information requests reviewed by fact-checking website Chequeado, Milei’s first 12 international flights cost around US$1.5 million to the state. Overall, he made 18 overseas trips during his first year in office, others on private jets paid for by other government officials or business leaders.
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