Brazil recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires after Argentina’s president attacked the Brazilian president as a “thief” and a “convict.”

Javier Milei made the comments Sunday at a rally in Sao Paulo to launch the presidential campaign of right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, who will run in elections in October.

Without explicitly naming Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, he referred disparagingly to the Brazilian president while speaking alongside Bolsonaro, whom he went so far as to say was the only one who could “stop Lula.”

Brazilian diplomats later said that the Argentine leader had insulted Brazil’s government, its people and its democracy.

Speaking later on Sunday, Lula said he would continue to lead “without anyone’s interference” and that “in Brazil, we do not accept anyone sticking their nose where they don’t belong.”

The Brazilian ambassador to Argentina, Julio Bitelli, was due to return to his country between Sunday and Monday, AFP reported.

Flavio Bolsanaro is the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who last year was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a coup aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the last election to Lula.

Milei also referred to the judge who oversaw Jair Bolsonaro’s sentencing, Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, as “bald trash.”

Moraes had also previously denied Milei permission to visit the former president while he was under house arrest in Brasilia.

In 2018, Lula was sentenced to 12 years in prison for a massive corruption and bribery scandal, but was released after serving just over 18 months.

Lula’s convictions were overturned by the Supreme Court in 2021 and in the presidential election the following year he narrowly defeated the current far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, winning 50.9% of the vote.