Spain's Sanchez gives Milei ironic welcome as Argentine leader calls him 'unpresentable dictator'

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gave Argentine President Javier Milei an ironic welcome to Madrid on Wednesday, proudly embracing the term "leftie" that Milei frequently uses to insult his political opponents.

"Hello, Milei. The lefties welcome you to Spain, the fastest-growing country in Europe," read a large banner displayed outside the headquarters of Sanchez's Socialist Party in Madrid.

Sanchez also posted a video on US social media platform X responding to Milei's repeated use of the Spanish word "zurdo," or "leftie," as a derogatory term.

"There are those who think they insult us by calling us lefties," he added.

Sanchez added that if raising pensions, increasing the minimum wage yearly, giving parents more time with their children, defending abortion rights and opposing war made someone a leftie, he was proud to be one.

"So yes, I'm a leftie, and proud of it," he concluded.

Milei's visit comes amid longstanding tensions with Sanchez, whom the Argentine president has repeatedly criticized during trips to Spain.

Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has made several visits to Spain without holding official meetings with Sanchez, an unusual pattern that has contributed to diplomatic friction between the two governments.

The latest trip, his seventh to Spain since becoming president, comes ahead of the country's Nov. 29 general election.

The Argentine government has described the visit as part of the election campaign, with Milei seeking to support Spain's right-wing political parties.

However, Milei is not expected to meet far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal, who is campaigning elsewhere in Spain. Instead, he is scheduled to meet the Vox secretary-general and the director of the party-linked Disenso Foundation.

A possible meeting with Madrid regional President Isabel Diaz Ayuso of the Popular Party, who he called a "friend" on Wednesday, has yet to be confirmed.

During the visit, Milei also renewed his criticism of Sanchez, calling the Spanish premier an "unpresentable dictator" during a business forum in Madrid on Wednesday.

"When I come to Spain, I'm not going to meet a criminal and a thief like Pedro Sanchez, because I'm not willing to have to sew my pockets shut to avoid being robbed," he added.

Speaking to reporters before the event, Milei also dismissed his critics as "stupid, incompetent, impoverishing lefties."