President Javier Milei met in New York with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting served to ratify the close alliance between Argentina and the United States and to advance a common agenda related to security, energy, critical minerals, and agricultural production.
“I am pleased to see the president of Argentina. Our bilateral relationship is strong, and our hemisphere is safer thanks to our close cooperation on energy, critical minerals, and agriculture,” Rubio posted after the meeting.
Also participating in the meeting were Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno and Economy Minister Luis “Toto” Caputo. According to reports, the issue of the Malvinas was also present during the conversation, although the government avoided providing details on that point.
The meeting took place on a day marked by Milei's participation alongside Donald Trump in the extraordinary session of the Shield of the Americas, an initiative promoted by the Republican administration to deepen regional cooperation against drug trafficking cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Trump supported Milei and called for an expansion of the fight against narco-terrorism
During the session, Trump highlighted the results of the recent Argentine elections and stated: “We had a great victory in Argentina, and not so long ago, twice”.
The U.S. president also urged allied countries to formally designate narco-terrorists as common threats to stability and to adopt sanctions against foreign terrorist organizations included on Washington's list.
In this context, Argentina is analyzing the incorporation of new organizations into the Public Registry of Persons and Entities Linked to Terrorism and its Financing (RePET).
During Milei's administration, the Argentine government has already included the Tren de Aragua, the Cartel of the Suns, Los Lobos, and Los Choneros in 2025. In 2026, it also declared the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Chone Killers as terrorists.
The United States will finance the Argentina LNG project with USD 6 billion
The bilateral agenda also had a strong economic component. Argentina and the United States advanced in a infrastructure investment agreement that includes financing of USD 6 billion for the Argentina LNG project.
The initiative links YPF with the Italian oil company Eni and XRG from the United Arab Emirates, and includes a large-scale project under the Incentive Regime for Large Investments (RIGI), with a projected investment of USD 51 billion.
Milei will bring the claim for the Malvinas to the UN
The financing will be backed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Exim Bank) and private investors. The agreement will be presented during a forum on supply chains, energy, and infrastructure in New York.
The energy advancement occurs in an international context marked by difficulties in Middle Eastern supply routes. Argentina seeks to position itself as a strategic supplier of gas, critical minerals, and other raw materials for the United States and its allies.
Milei will bring the Malvinas claim to the UN
The President's agenda in New York will continue with his speech before the UN General Assembly. There, Milei will reaffirm Argentina's sovereign rights over the Malvinas Islands and will call on the United Kingdom to accept the diplomatic route to resolve the dispute.
The Malvinas issue has gained special relevance in recent weeks, after the Argentine government promoted new legislation to strengthen sanctions against activities related to the exploitation of natural resources in the islands.
The presidential tour in New York also includes presentations before the New York Economic Club, the Council of the Americas, and the Federalism and Freedom Foundation.
In this way, Milei's visit focuses on three central axes of Argentine foreign policy: strengthening the strategic alliance with the United States, cooperation against narco-terrorism, and defending sovereignty over the Malvinas, in addition to an economic agenda centered on energy and investments.
