A speech by President Javier Milei in Madrid sparked a diplomatic crisis between Argentina and Spain.

Without naming her, the South American leader accused Begoña Gómez, the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, of being "corrupt".

He said this while attending a convention of the right-wing Vox party in the Spanish capital.

Spain’s government condemned Mr Milei's remarks, demanded a public apology and recalled its ambassador to Buenos Aires for consultations.

On Monday, Mr Sánchez considered that the Argentine leader "did not live up to his statements" and demanded a rectification.

At a press conference, the Premier said: "between governments, affections are free but respect is sacred".

Meanwhile, his foreign minister, José Manuel Albares, published that "Milei's words in Madrid go beyond any kind of political and ideological difference".

In Buenos Aires, meanwhile, they assure that the Head of State will not apologize for his comments.

Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni published in X that it is Sánchez's government that should ask forgiveness.

And he recalled that several Spanish officials had said that the Argentine government was "anti-democratic", "haters" and that Milei "consumed substances".

Interior Minister Guillermo Francos, for his part, said that in Madrid they can wait calmly for an apology, because "it is not going to come".

Meanwhile, the European Union's diplomatic chief, Josep Borrel, questioned Milei's comments about Begoña Gómez.

On social media, he said: "attacks against relatives of political leaders have no place in our culture: we condemn them, especially when they come from partners".

At the Vox convention, Javier Milei had asserted that socialism is destructive and that it "generates high levels of abuse".

It was then that he said: "even if you have a corrupt woman [and she gets dirty] and somebody takes five days to think".

The President was refering to an investigation into alleged influence peddling targeting the Spanish first lady.

Sánchez flatly rejected these accusations, calling them a smear campaign and was on the verge of resigning in protest.