Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez gestures during a press conference at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, December 15, 2025.
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Spain’s government is embroiled in a dispute with Argentina’s president, Javier Millei, after the latter accused him of being a “dictator” while supporting a right-wing political opponent.
Speaking at an event in Madrid on Wednesday, Millay claimed Spain was “suffering from[socialism]under the disgraced dictator Pedro Sánchez” and urged voters to “kick out the socialists because you are the cradle of liberalism”.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning Millay’s comments during an unofficial visit to Spain as an “insult and defamation” directed at the country, its prime minister and its people.
“Spain is a sovereign country that does not accept external interference, attacks or insults on its Prime Minister or its freely, democratically and sovereignly elected institutions, nor does it tolerate anyone who disrupts the peaceful and democratic coexistence of our countries,” the government said.
“It is shameful that someone in the highest position of a sister country would visit our country with the sole purpose of trying to foster a climate of polarization and violence between the Spanish people and between sister countries like Spain and Argentina.”
Millay’s unofficial visit to the Spanish capital on Wednesday comes as Spain prepares for general elections on November 29.
Sanchez is the leader of Spain’s Socialist Labor Party and has been Prime Minister of Spain since 2018.
Mr Sánchez called early elections on October 5 after MPs voted against housing reforms drawn up in response to nationwide protests over Spain’s housing crisis.
Protesters gather in Madrid city center during a housing rights demonstration in front of Madrid City Hall on October 3, 2026 in Madrid, Spain. They called for a halt to evictions following Maricarmen’s eviction and stronger protection for tenants.
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He is running for a third term in a snap election on November 29, with opinion polls showing the most likely outcome is a right-wing coalition between the conservative People’s Party and the far-right party Box.
The Spanish prime minister has already faced off with Milay, an ally of US President Donald Trump, in the past. Madrid withdrew its ambassador from Buenos Aires for several months in 2024 after Millay called Sánchez’s wife “corrupt” and continued to hurl a barrage of insults at Sánchez. Milay publicly criticized the Sánchez government in June 2025 and again in September 2026.
Millais herself is up for election in 2027, and will be fighting to defend her position against a backdrop of mounting debt problems and a stagnant economy.
Sanchez defended his political agenda in a video posted to social media on Wednesday.
“Some people think you’re insulting us when you call us leftists,” he told his followers. “Well, let me tell you something. If raising pensions makes me a leftist, then I’m a leftist. If giving mothers and fathers more time with their children makes me a leftist, then I’m a leftist, too. If raising the minimum wage every year makes me a leftist, then I’m a leftist. , I’m a leftist. If defending women’s abortion rights makes me a leftist, then I’m a leftist. Yes, I’m a lefty, and I’m proud of it.
Mr. Sanchez has been at loggerheads with Mr. Trump again this year, with the US president threatening to cut off trade and ties with Spain after the two men traded criticism over the US-Iranian war and defense spending.
