The Argentinian President, Javier Milei, referred to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife as "corrupt." In response, Spain has recalled its ambassador to Buenos Aires and summoned Argentina's envoy.

Spain's Foreign Ministry called Argentina's ambassador on Monday to request an apology from President Javier Milei regarding derogatory remarks he made about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's wife. Without directly naming her, Milei referred to Sanchez's wife as "corrupt" during a far-right rally in Madrid last week.

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares stated that he anticipated an apology from the Argentinian president. Madrid's prosecuting authority appealed to dismiss a case against Sanchez's wife for influence peddling and business corruption due to insufficient evidence.

Sanchez took five days to contemplate his political future in response to the accusations but ultimately decided to remain in office.

Speaking ahead of summoning the Argentine ambassador, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares stated that he would emphasize "the gravity of the situation" and "demand again a public apology by Javier Milei." Albares did not rule out the possibility of severing diplomatic ties with Argentina if no apology was issued.

"We clearly do not want to take these measures but if there is no public apology, we will do it," the minister remarked. He added that Milei's conduct had "brought the relationship between Spain and Argentina to its most serious state in recent history."

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, also denounced Milei's remarks. In a post on the social messaging app X (formerly Twitter), he stated that "attacks against family members of political leaders have no place in our culture."

Milei's controversial remarks were made during a conference organized by Spain's far-right Vox party in Madrid, where he criticized socialism and targeted Sanchez's wife, Begona Gomez.

"The global elites don't understand the destructive nature of implementing socialist ideas," Milei asserted. "They are unaware of the societal and national consequences, the individuals clinging to power, and the extent of abuse it generates."

He proceeded to imply that his comments were directed towards Sanchez and Gomez, stating: "When you have a corrupt wife, let's say, it gets dirty, and you take five days to think about it."

Milei's spokesperson informed an Argentine TV channel that the president would not apologize, and suggested that Spanish officials retract insults directed at him.

"There is no apology to make. No apology," declared Argentina's Interior Minister Guillermo Francos. "I think, on the contrary, it is for the Spanish government to issue an apology for what has been said about Milei."

During his visit to Madrid, the libertarian president broke with diplomatic protocol by neglecting to arrange meetings with Spain's King Felipe and Prime Minister Sanchez.

This recent dispute has been simmering for weeks, as Milei previously verbally targeted Sanchez and his left-leaning government, eliciting a heated response from Madrid.