Argentina: Ukraine's Zelenskyy attending Milei inauguration

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend on Sunday the inauguration of Argentina's newly-elected president, Javier Milei.

The Ukrainian presidency said Zelenskyy was "on the way to Argentina to attend the inauguration of newly-elected President Javier Milei."

Right-wing populist and self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist Milei won Argentina's presidential runoff election last month by a landslide.

What do we know about Zelenskyy's relationship with Milei?

Zelenskyy had congratulated Milei on his victory. The two leaders also spoke over the phone soon after the vote. Milei said he had "offered that Argentina could be the host of a summit between Ukraine and Latin America."

Zelensky thanked Milei for his "clear support for Ukraine."

"This is well-noticed and appreciated by Ukrainians," he wrote at the time on social media.

Despite the often negative attention Milei's style and domestic and economic policies attracted in much of the western press during the campaign, he also campaigned on a pro-US foreign policy stance and was critical of Russia and China.

Who else will attend the inauguration?

Russia's ambassador to Argentina Dmitry Feoktistov is also due to attend the inauguration, as per Russian state media.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Milei's statements during his electoral campaign were "noted."

"But we will focus on and judge him mainly by the statements that he makes after the inauguration," Peskov added.

Some other world leaders are due to attend the Sunday inauguration. They include Spain's King Felipe VI, Hungary's Viktor Orban, Paraguay's Santiago Pena, Uruguay's Luis Lacalle Pou and Chile's Gabriel Boric.

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro, with policies far closer to Milei's than current President Lula, is also attending. 

rmt/msh (AFP, dpa)