Brazilian Defense Minister José Mucio met with his Argentine counterpart in Buenos Aires on Tuesday, marking the first dedicated bilateral defense meeting since April 2024 — a significant step given the sharp deterioration in relations between Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Javier Milei. Mucio called for the two neighbors to shed any awkwardness about their closeness, saying "we need to stop being ashamed of being friends," and emphasized shared interests in joint border operations, combating organized crime, and potential defense-industry partnerships. The visit, which Mucio said was deliberately chosen as the first stop on a broader tour of Mercosul (the South American trading bloc) countries, is intended to insulate military and defense cooperation from the political tensions between the two governments ahead of a Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas scheduled in Peru in July.