United States rules out an additional credit line for Argentina: why

“It is not under consideration,” confirmed Secretary of the United States Treasury, Scott Besent, to the press, during his visit to Buenos Aires

04/15/2025 – 13: 47hs

The United States Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Besent, confirmed that Your country does not contemplate offering an additional financing line for Argentina.

During his visit to Buenos Aires, Besent held a high profile meeting at Casa Rosada with President Milei and part of the economic cabinet. Although the US official positively valued the reforms promoted by the libertarian government, it was categorical to affirm that a bilateral credit line is not in analysis. “That is not under consideration,” he replied when asked about the possibility of direct assistance from Washington to Argentina.

The statement was given in an interview with the Bloomberg agency. Despite the Symbolic support which implies Besent’s visit and its alignment with the local economic direction, the United States has no plans to expand financial support beyond the guarantee to multilateral organisms.

As for the relationship with China, Besent avoided linking the refusal to the credit line with the current Swap agreement between Buenos Aires and Beijing. He acknowledged that the Asian country acted with “good faith” to renew that mechanism, and said that if Argentina maintains its economic plan, it can eventually generate the necessary currencies to return those funds. He also noted that the United States observes with concern the growing Chinese influence in Latin America, although he clarified that there are no explicit conditioning towards the Milei government.

Tariffs between the United States and Argentina

The meeting held by the president Javier Milei with the United States Treasury Secretary, Scott Besentnot only left the government a gesture of political support by the administration of Donald Trump but also a favorable sign for negotiation with which minimize the impact of tariffs and the commercial war launched by the American president.

Besent is a key official in the framework of the aggressive foreign commercial policy that the Republican launched when elevated 145% Tariffs for China -Principal pointed out by this strategy- and 10% for the rest of the countriesamong which is Argentina. Days ago Trump’s Secretary of Agriculture questioned the export of meat from this country to North America.

The final objective declared of Milei is to sign a free trade agreement with the United States and, while trying to disarm the obstacles imposed by belonging to Mercosur, seeks as a previous step to negotiate exceptions to that tariff policy, in the impasse of 90 days that Trump arranged after the first earthquake that generated in the markets.

The same intends the European Union and almost all nations that are affected and That is why Besent’s visit was so important for the Milei government: he is the official with whom everyone wants to sit down to dialogue these days and made a lightning visit exclusively to Argentina to, as he said, “the first formal conversations on reciprocal trade between the two countries.”

The visit itself was already celebrated by Milei and the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputoto occur on the first day of the operations after the lifting of the stocks to the official dollar, but also gave the chance to the president and announce the possibility of reaching a beneficial commercial agreement with the United Statesalthough still There are conditions ahead of agreeing. The Republican administration has the eye on the relationship with China.

After the meeting that Besent shared at Casa Rosada with Milei, Caputo, his vice minister José Luis Daza; the president of the Central Bank, Santiago Bausili, and the Secretary of Finance, Pablo Quirnothe United States Embassy in the country issued a statement in which it stressed that the Treasury Secretary praised the Government “for advance quickly in negotiation with the United States of a package of reciprocal commercial measures. “

It was a clear allusion to the negotiations that Trump opened with all countries after the initial blow of the tariff rise, with wink included. Shortly after, Besent confirmed during a joint message with Milei – which was recorded – that with his visit “began the first formal conversations about reciprocal trade between the two countries.”

Beyond that he unveiled part of the real reason for his unusual visit to the country, Besent read a statement full of Definitions traced on the official government discourse: He spoke of the “inheritance,” said that “the Argentine economy was balanced on the verge of a precipice” and highlighted Milei’s “courage” against “establishment”, while drawing its management a parallel and Trump’s.

“In many ways, Milei and the Maga Movement share the same course,” said the Secretary of the Treasury while highlighting the support of the United States “to President Milei and the vision of his government” and the “will to collaborate with the government of President Trump with Argentina.”