United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will meet with Javier Milei in Buenos Aires, the U.S. State Department announced on Friday. 

The two will meet as part of a short South American trip Blinken has scheduled between February 20 and 23, which includes a visit to Brazil to attend the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting and also gather with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

This will be the highest-ranking US official the Argentine president will meet since taking office.

Earlier this month, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols visited the country and met with several media outlets, including the Herald. Asked whether Blinken would visit Argentina, Nichols at that time said he could not confirm. 

In Brasilia, Blinken will meet Lula to discuss the U.S.-Brazil partnership for workers rights and cooperation on the energy transition, the State Department said, before traveling to Rio for the G20 meeting.

In Rio, he expects to “engage world leaders on our shared initiatives for increasing peace and stability, promoting social inclusion, reducing inequality, ending hunger, countering the climate crisis, promoting clean energy transition and sustainable development, and making global governance more effective.” He will also address international efforts to support Haiti as the country grapples with an escalating humanitarian crisis and spikes of violence.

With information by Reuters