Cristina Fernández de Kirchner broke her public silence to question Alberto Fernández’s ongoing diplomatic actions. The vice president defended the territorial principle, which the President ignored in his first criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And then he stated on his official Twitter account that the United States was manipulating the UN according to its geopolitical agenda, when the head of state has decided that tomorrow he will vote together with the White House at the UN Emergency Assembly, which was convened to reject the illegal actions of Vladimir Putin.

Alberto Fernández has a zigzag strategy regarding Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. He endorsed a statement from the Foreign Ministry that did not mention Russia, nor does it make any formal claims to the Territoriality Principle. This serious technical omission could facilitate British legal arguments against Argentine sovereignty in the Malvinas Islands.

The first statement from the San Martín Palace was drafted by Deputy Foreign Minister Pablo Tettamanti and Argentine Ambassador to Russia, Eduardo Zuain. Tettamanti and Zuain responded to the CFK and reached the heart of the Kremlin without much formal effort.

In line with the same argument, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs established its position on the General Assembly of the United Nations. “Argentina expresses its concern about the resulting development of the situation in Ukraine. We are concerned about the current crisis, as well as the possibility that it will continue to worsen. It is important to take substantive steps to engage in constructive dialogue in good faith to find a peaceful and unified solution.”, said Fabian Oddone, Alternative Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Oddone did not mention Russia, Putin and the invasion of Ukraine. talk instead Maria del Carmen Squeffambassador of Argentina to the United Nations, who was on vacation in Santa Fe and chose to follow the conflict on television.

Copies of the first State Department statement and Representative Oddone’s speech reached the State Department and the West Wing of the White House. They are read uncomfortably, and the inconvenience was communicated to Balcarce 50 and Palacio San Martín.

Smooth pressure from DC fulfills its purpose. One day after the UN General Assembly, Alberto Fernández changed his position again. Meanwhile, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner is in fashion press silent and waiting for his political opportunity.

“Republic of Argentinafaithful to the most important principles of international coexistence, made his strongest rejection of the use of armed forces and deeply regrets the resulting escalation of the situation in Ukraine. A just and lasting solution can only be achieved through dialogue and shared commitments that ensure essential peaceful coexistence. That is why he asked the Russian Federation to stop military action in Ukraine.” spokeswoman Gabriela Cerruti read in her usual appearance on Thursday.

This strong condemnation position, which avoided pressure from the Kirchnerist cadres, Tettamanti and Zuain, was praised by the State Department. And in this sense, White House asks Argentina to accompany Putin’s rejection of invasion which will be discussed at the emergency meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS).

Alberto Fernandez said no.

The head of state and the CFK never spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And Alberto Fernández knows when Cristina will unilaterally improve her position. Almost like a foreigner from a government built from a party base and is a Vice President.

Cristina’s posture encrypts four different messages:

1. ignore the government and Alberto Fernandez’s decision.

2. He avoided condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

3. He claims his own perspective on foreign policy.

4. This calls into question the geopolitical architecture of the UN Security Council.

And as is always the case with CFK and its interpretation of (in this case international) facts, it manipulates information to fit it into its perspective on things.

Zuain told Cristina about everything that was happening at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Argentina’s ambassador to Russia keeps no details of the Vice President, and when he can, he influences the government’s position on the crisis in Europe. CFK handles information, has no contact with Alberto Fernández and when giving his opinion he refers only to his government and then Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman.

During military dictatorship, Presidents Gerald Ford, James Carter and Ronald Reagan support systematic human rights abuses. Just as the Kremlin needs Argentine grain to maintain its food security.

But the Malvinas War disrupted the military regime’s alliance: Washington sided with Great Britain, and Moscow sided with General Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri. This is how the world worked during the Cold War, and Cristina doesn’t explain it on her official Twitter account.

Even more, The Vice President made the mistake of questioning the National Security Council. It is true that a veto by one of the permanent members of the Council (United States, China, Russia, Britain and France) hinders diplomatic initiatives, but also firm that a special majority can save that geopolitical decision.

Through that particular majority, The Council calls today for the Emergency General Assembly to deal with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The General Assembly will discuss a draft declaration that Russia vetoed three days ago. Meaning: there’s a veto, as CFK points out, and there’s an Emergency General Assembly to fix it, as CFK doesn’t.

Finally, Argentina voted against the Crimean referendum result for violating a pre-existing treaty signed between the United States and Russia when the Soviet Union had exploded. Ukraine returned nuclear weapons to the Kremlin, and Boris Yeltsin respected Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Alberto Fernández made the mistake of discarding the concept of territorial integrity when starting the crisis in Ukraine, but Cristina Fernández de Kirchner chose to remain silent when Zuain shared what was being analyzed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Alberto Fernández did not remain silent when Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s tweet was revealed. He took advantage of the virtual meeting he shared with Foreign Ministers Santiago Cafiero and Michelle BacheletUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to mark a new distance with the Vice President.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reassured that, during the zoom linking Olivos with Geneva, Alberto Fernández rejected “the use of armed forces by the Russian Federation and demanded a cessation of hostilities, necessary to continue the path of dialogue and negotiations.”

Likewise, the official statement stating that at the meeting Alberto Fernández “He stressed that Argentina’s actions were always based on the defense of and full respect for international law. state sovereignty and territorial integrity, peaceful settlement of disputes and full and deep respect for human rights”.

President and Vice President clash in public over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Alberto Fernández is now cursing Putin, while Cristina recalls past events and remains silent about the current situation.

The government has its foreign policy in crisis, when the world is on fire and the future is uncertain.

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