Argentina’s Milei fires foreign minister after vote to lift embargo against Cuba

Argentina’s President Javier Milei on Wednesday replaced Foreign Affairs Minister Diana Mondino after she voted in favor of lifting the US embargo against Cuba at the United Nations.

Milei, a libertarian who took office in late 2023, is unabashedly pro-United States and has taken a cooler stance toward leftist trade partners in the region and overseas, including by taking steps to distance Argentina from Cuba and Venezuela.

Earlier on Wednesday, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly called on the US to end its decades-long sanctions regime on Cuba, in a non-binding resolution opposed only by the US and Israel.

Milei, who has said that he wants Argentina to be in line with the US and Israel, shared a post on social media from a lower house lawmaker praising his government for “not supporting nor being an accomplice of dictators.”

Gerardo Werthein, who has been serving as Argentina’s ambassador to the US, will replace Mondino as the country’s foreign minister, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni said on X.

Mondino, one of Milei’s first confirmed cabinet members, has played a key role in keeping diplomatic relations smooth with international partners despite incendiary comments from the president about countries like Brazil and China.

Milei was having lunch when he received a call from Werthein inquiring about Argentina’s vote in favor of lifting the embargo on Communist-ruled Cuba, angering the right-wing leader, local news outlet TN reported.

Earlier this year, Argentina’s state energy company YPF said it would not provide fuel to Cuban airline Cubana, prompting the state-run carrier to shut down a route run between Havana and Buenos Aires.

Cuba’s foreign ministry at the time said Argentine officials cited the US embargo in defending the move.