Milei's COP29 team leaves as Trump tensions hang over summit

Argentine President Javier Milei’s negotiating team has left Azerbaijan less than four days into the COP29 climate summit, while France’s climate minister said she wouldn’t return to the talks as political tensions rippled through the conference.

The surprise move by Argentina — which was not explained by the country — raised concerns among negotiators at COP29 that the country may follow U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s threat to exit the landmark 2015 Paris climate deal. The absences also complicate the summit’s aim to agree on a crucial climate finance deal amounting to trillions of dollars.

The tensions kicked off on Wednesday when the French minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, said she wouldn’t return for the second week of talks in Baku. It followed Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks at the summit where he accused Paris of “neo-colonialism” and “crimes” in its overseas territories, including New Caledonia, which was rocked by protests earlier this year.

“Azerbaijan is instrumentalizing the fight against climate change for an undignified personal agenda,” Pannier-Runacher said in an address to parliament. “I will not be going to Baku next week.”

A spokesman for the COP29 Presidency confirmed the Argentine team’s departure but declined to comment on the French minister’s position. Pannier-Runacher said the country’s negotiating team would stay on at the summit and the country will still be part of the EU’s decision-making process.

The Netherlands’ overseas territories were also singled out by Aliyev. The Dutch delegation would remain in Baku at its full capacity, a spokesman said.

“Both France and the Netherlands are absolute leaders in the area of climate policy and climate finance,” said Jake Werksman, lead negotiator for the European Union. “Regardless of any bilateral disagreements, COP should be a place where all parties feel at liberty to come and negotiate on climate action.”

The United Nations-convened COP29 talks have one key goal: agree on a massive scaling up in climate finance amounting to trillions of dollars for developing countries. France is one of the biggest providers of finance as part of the European Union.

Climate Skeptics

There is growing concern over leaders around the world who are skeptical of climate change, with Milei and Trump seen as increasingly close allies. It was not clear whether Argentina’s move was a one-off or the first step on the path to a potential withdrawal from the Paris Agreement.

“Argentina’s decision to leave COP29 is a step back for its own climate resilience,” said Ana Mulio Alvarez, a researcher in climate diplomacy and geopolitics. “This choice leaves Argentina without a voice at the table to discuss the much-needed finance essential to supporting climate-vulnerable countries.”

One negotiator from a developed country said they saw any coordinated move as contained, and unlikely to result in a further move against climate progress. Argentina has around 20 negotiators and officials registered at the summit, according to a list of participants.

U.S. officials have emphasized that key parts of President Joe Biden’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act are likely to remain and Trump’s election won’t stop subnational and private sector progress. Brazil and the UK meanwhile have signaled greater emissions-cutting ambition through fresh climate plans at this year’s talks.

Another high-profile figure to miss out on the second week of talks is Canadian climate minister Steven Guilbeault, who returned to Ottowa for the reopening of parliament. Ministers are often required to strike deals in the dying hours of COP climate summits.

He tried to allay fears that the country’s climate laws would be under threat after elections next year. The industrial component of Canada’s carbon market had a good chance of remaining due to the financial support it provided crucial businesses, he said.

“In a democracy, you can’t lock things in forever,” he said in an interview. “But this rationale that it is about climate change as it is about investment and job creation holds true on both sides of the border.”

—With assistance from Zulfugar Agayev and Jennifer A. Dlouhy.