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Italy Takes Over Argentina's Caracas Embassy as Brazil Withdraws

Italy Takes Over Argentina's Caracas Embassy as Brazil Withdraws

A 14-month custodianship ends amid U.S. intervention in Venezuela and collapsed Brazil-Argentina relations

Today: Italy Assumes Embassy Protection

Overview

Brazil protected Argentina's embassy in Caracas for 14 months after Nicolás Maduro expelled Argentine diplomats in July 2024. That arrangement ended on January 16, 2026, when Italy assumed custodianship—a shift triggered by Brazil's opposition to the U.S. military operation that captured Maduro two weeks earlier, and accelerated by Argentine President Javier Milei's sustained social media attacks on Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The handover crystallizes a broader realignment. Argentina has pivoted toward a Rome-Buenos Aires-Washington axis built on Milei's personal relationship with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and shared support for U.S. action in Venezuela. Brazil, meanwhile, condemned the intervention as imperial overreach. The two largest South American economies now find themselves on opposite sides of a rupture that one Brazilian diplomat called 'the worst moment since both countries' democratic restoration.'

Key Indicators

14
Months of Brazilian protection
Duration Brazil served as protecting power for Argentina's embassy in Caracas
6
Opposition figures extracted
Venezuelan opposition members sheltered in the embassy until U.S.-Italian extraction in May 2025
16,806
Insults in Milei's posts
Social media posts containing insults from Dec 2023 to Sept 2025, per press watchdog FOPEA
40+
Dead in U.S. strike
Reported Venezuelan casualties in January 3 operation that captured Maduro

People Involved

Javier Milei
Javier Milei
President of Argentina (In office since December 2023)
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
President of Brazil (In office since January 2023 (third term))
Giorgia Meloni
Giorgia Meloni
Prime Minister of Italy (In office since October 2022)
Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez
Delcy Eloína Rodríguez Gómez
Acting President of Venezuela (In office since January 3, 2026)
Donald Trump
Donald Trump
President of the United States (In office since January 2025 (second term))

Organizations Involved

Mercosur
Mercosur
Regional Trade Bloc
Status: Under strain from Brazil-Argentina tensions

South American customs union comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and (since 2024) Bolivia.

Timeline

  1. Italy Assumes Embassy Protection

    Diplomatic

    Italy took over custodianship of Argentina's embassy in Caracas, consolidating the Rome-Buenos Aires-Washington axis. The transition marked the worst point in Brazil-Argentina relations since democratic restoration.

  2. Brazil Announces Embassy Withdrawal

    Diplomatic

    Brazil's foreign ministry cited 'technical necessity to reorganize' before Venezuela's new government. The actual trigger: opposition to U.S. intervention and exhaustion with Milei's social media attacks depicting Brazil as a 'favela' and Lula as a dictator.

  3. Delcy Rodríguez Sworn in as Acting President

    Political

    Venezuela's vice president became the country's first female head of state. She initially condemned the U.S. action as a 'kidnapping' but soon signaled willingness to negotiate.

  4. U.S. Captures Maduro in Military Strike

    Military

    Operation Absolute Resolve struck Venezuela with 150+ aircraft. U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife at their Caracas compound, transporting them to New York to face narcoterrorism charges.

  5. Mercosur Summit Clash

    Diplomatic

    Lula and Milei publicly clashed over Venezuela at the Mercosur summit. Lula warned of humanitarian catastrophe; Milei praised Trump's saber-rattling.

  6. Italy-Argentina Action Plan Signed

    Diplomatic

    Milei and Meloni adopted a 2025-2030 bilateral roadmap covering defense, trade, space, and security cooperation in Rome.

  7. Embassy Asylum Seekers Extracted

    Resolution

    U.S. and Italian governments coordinated secret extraction of all six Venezuelan opposition members from the embassy. María Corina Machado called it 'an impeccable and epic operation.'

  8. Argentine Gendarme Detained

    Arrest

    Venezuelan authorities detained Argentine military police officer Nahuel Gallo at the Colombian border. He was charged with espionage; Argentina called it arbitrary detention and filed an ICC complaint.

  9. Embassy Siege Begins

    Security

    Hooded Venezuelan intelligence officers surrounded the embassy with long guns, cut electricity, and deployed signal-blocking drones. The siege would last until May 2025.

  10. Brazil Assumes Embassy Protection

    Diplomatic

    At Milei's request, Lula agreed to place Argentina's embassy under Brazilian custody. Maduro pledged to respect Brazil's control of the premises.

  11. Venezuela Expels Argentine Diplomats

    Diplomatic Break

    Maduro's government severed diplomatic relations with Argentina and ordered all diplomatic personnel to leave within 72 hours. Six Venezuelan asylum seekers remained stranded inside the embassy.

  12. Venezuela's Disputed Presidential Election

    Political

    Maduro claimed victory over opposition candidate Edmundo González. International observers and opposition disputed the results, with Argentina among the first to reject the outcome as fraudulent.

  13. Venezuelan Opposition Seeks Embassy Refuge

    Crisis Origin

    Six members of María Corina Machado's Vente Venezuela party, including campaign manager Magalli Meda, sought asylum at Argentina's embassy in Caracas after being charged with terrorism and treason.

Scenarios

1

Brazil-Argentina Relations Remain Frozen Through 2026 Elections

Discussed by: Latin American analysts at FIU Gordon Institute and Wilson Center

Bilateral ties stay at their nadir through Brazil's October 2026 presidential election. Milei openly backs a Bolsonaro family candidacy. If Lula loses, a right-wing Brazilian government could restore cooperation; if Lula wins, the freeze deepens. Mercosur functions minimally as Argentina pursues separate U.S. trade talks.

2

Rodríguez Government Falls, New Venezuelan Elections Called

Discussed by: Brookings Institution, Americas Quarterly analysts

U.S. pressure and internal PSUV fractures force Delcy Rodríguez to call internationally supervised elections. Opposition leader Edmundo González returns from exile. Argentina and Italy gain influence as backers of the transition; Brazil is marginalized for its initial opposition to intervention.

3

Rome-Buenos Aires-Washington Axis Formalizes into Alliance

Discussed by: European and Latin American foreign policy observers

Milei's proposed 'league of free nations' gains traction. Italy, Argentina, and select U.S.-aligned governments establish formal coordination on trade, defense, and diplomatic recognition. This creates a counterweight to Brazil-led regional structures and accelerates Mercosur's fragmentation.

4

U.S. Intervention Triggers Broader Regional Backlash

Discussed by: Council on Foreign Relations, Latin American left-wing governments

The precedent of unilateral U.S. military action in the hemisphere galvanizes left-wing governments in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Brazil to strengthen counter-U.S. diplomatic blocs. Regional organizations like CELAC gain prominence as forums for condemning American intervention. Italy's embassy protection becomes a symbol of alignment with U.S. policy.

Historical Context

Switzerland as U.S. Protecting Power in Iran (1980-Present)

May 1980-Present

What Happened

After Iranian revolutionaries seized the U.S. embassy in Tehran and held 52 diplomats hostage for 444 days, Washington severed relations with Iran in April 1980. Switzerland agreed to represent U.S. interests, establishing a Foreign Interests Section physically separate from its own embassy in Tehran.

Outcome

Short Term

Swiss diplomats became the sole channel for U.S.-Iran communications during the hostage crisis and Iran-Iraq War.

Long Term

The arrangement has lasted 45+ years, facilitating the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, prisoner exchanges, and crisis de-escalation. Switzerland's neutrality proved essential for maintaining communication between hostile states.

Why It's Relevant Today

Italy's assumption of Argentina's embassy protection follows the same diplomatic mechanism. The question is whether Italy—openly aligned with Argentina and the U.S.—can maintain the neutrality that made Switzerland's Iran mandate effective.

Swiss Protection of U.S. Interests in Cuba (1977-2015)

September 1977-July 2015

What Happened

After the U.S. broke relations with Cuba in 1961 following Castro's revolution, Switzerland operated a U.S. Interests Section in Havana for 38 years. The section functioned as a de facto embassy, providing consular services and maintaining diplomatic channels despite the embargo.

Outcome

Short Term

The arrangement preserved minimal diplomatic functionality during decades of Cold War hostility.

Long Term

When Obama and Castro normalized relations in 2015, the interests section was upgraded to full embassy status. The three Marines who lowered the flag in 1961 returned to raise it again.

Why It's Relevant Today

Demonstrates that protecting power arrangements can persist for decades and provide a foundation for eventual normalization. Italy's new role could similarly outlast current tensions—or become permanent if Venezuela remains isolated from Argentina.

Ecuador Raids Mexican Embassy (2024)

April 2024

What Happened

Ecuadorian police stormed Mexico's embassy in Quito to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, who had been granted asylum. President Daniel Noboa ordered the raid after Mexico refused to surrender Glas, who faced corruption charges. Mexico immediately severed diplomatic ties.

Outcome

Short Term

The raid drew near-universal condemnation from Latin American governments and the UN. Mexico filed an ICJ case against Ecuador.

Long Term

Set a precedent for challenging embassy inviolability in Latin America, though most nations reaffirmed the Vienna Convention's protections.

Why It's Relevant Today

Venezuela's 2024-2025 siege of Argentina's embassy followed similar logic—using security forces to pressure asylum seekers. Brazil's protection and subsequent Italian assumption aim to prevent another Ecuador-style violation.

12 Sources:
+6
MercoPress Buenos Aires Times CNN Al Jazeera PBS NewsHour Wikipedia Buenos Aires Herald Brookings Institution Buenos Aires Times MercoPress MercoPress PBS NewsHour