Abascal and his "good friend" Milei meet in Madrid

MadridArgentine President Javier Milei will spend just over 24 hours in Madrid this weekend. The reason for his brief trip to the Spanish capital is the "dissertation" he will deliver this Saturday evening at the second edition of the Madrid Economic Forum, held at the Vistalegre Palace, which amounts to an ode to the most unrestrained capitalism. But before his speech, Milei took the opportunity to meet behind closed doors with various figures from the most liberal and ultraconservative sectors of the Spanish economic and political sphere, including the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal. "It's always a pleasure to meet with my good friend and ally Javier Milei," the Vox leader stated in a message on the social network X.. "An international symbol of freedom who has returned Argentina to the path of prosperity and to the league of great nations," Abascal added. These words accompanied a photo of him with the Argentine president, who is wearing a work coat from the Argentine oil company YPF.

The meeting between the two political leaders took place at a Madrid hotel on Saturday morning and lasted just over an hour. The only reaction after the meeting came via social media. Milei's decision to wear a lab coat with the initials YPF doesn't come at just any time, but rather amidst an energy crisis caused by the war in the Middle East and tensions surrounding the supply and price of oil and gas. With this reference to the oil company, Milei is highlighting a sector currently experiencing a boom in Argentina (the country is a net exporter of crude oil), not only due to the Argentine president's focus on hydrocarbons, but also because he has withdrawn from all climate negotiations. According to the agenda distributed by Milei's team, the Argentine president is not scheduled to meet with any government officials, nor with Spanish business leaders. In fact, on none of the trips Milei has made to Spain since becoming president of Argentina has he met with Pedro Sánchez, against whom he has repeatedly criticized. Last September, he planned to visit Spain and meet with Abascal, but the trip was canceled due to his candidate's electoral defeat in Buenos Aires. His last visit was in 2024. On one occasion, he met with Isabel Díaz Ayuso, as well as with Spanish business leaders and executives.

This Saturday, after his meeting with Abascal, Milei met with Jesús Huerta de Soto, professor of economics and founder of the Austrian School of Economics Master's program, a key figure for Javier Milei and the ultraliberal movement. He also met with Martín Varsavsky, founder of Jazztel, and his partner, Nina Varsavsky.

Ultraliberal youth

The Madrid Economic Forum originated in Andorra and moved to Madrid in 2025. Milei, in fact, was already part of the lineup at its first edition. Among other things, the event advocates for a secondary role for the state in the economy and also strongly supports tax cuts and neoliberal policies. All of this was presented to hundreds of young people who paid between 50 and 2,500 euros to attend, according to the official website.