Bullrich's camp plays down talk of split with Milei ahead of meeting

President Javier Milei and Senator Patricia Bullrich are set to hold showdown talks in the coming week, with officials in the government reportedly warning that a break with one of the administration’s most prominent figures cannot be ruled out.

Tensions have escalated following a series of public disagreements by Bullrich, Milei’s former security minister who now serves as his La Libertad Avanza party’s Senate caucus chief, over economic policy, the government's treatment of the press and its foreign policy positions.

The latest flashpoint came on Tuesday, when Bullrich claimed credit for measures announced by Economy Minister Luis Caputo to ease pressure on small and medium-sized businesses. 

She later posted a photograph of a meeting with her closest political and legislative allies – a move was interpreted in the Casa Rosada as a challenge to presidential authority, particularly amid reports that Bullrich is seeking to consolidate her own political following ahead of the 2027 elections.

Bullrich has long held presidential ambitions but was eliminated in the first round of the 2023 election. She later went on to endorse Milei and join his administration.

Government sources told local media this week that a decisive meeting could take place after Pope Leo XIV's visit to Argentina, with an eventual split among the possible outcomes.

Bullrich's camp, however, denies that she is seeking a confrontation or planning to break with the government. 

“We'll do whatever is necessary to ensure Peronism does not win,” a source close to the senator told the Noticias Argentinas news agency, while insisting that she intends to preserve her political autonomy.