Volkswacht Bodensee - Argentina's Milei says would leave Mercosur for US trade deal

Asked whether he would be willing to leave the bloc, he said: "If that was the extreme condition, yes" but quickly said he hoped such a dramatic move would not be needed.

"There are, however, mechanisms by which it can be done being within Mercosur. So we say it can be achieved without having to abandon what we have in terms of Mercosur," he said during a Bloomberg event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The Argentinian leader and fan of US President Donald Trump has made it clear he wants a trade deal with the United States, although that could cause problems with other members.

Milei said he was "working very hard on the possibility".

He previously said he would use his current rotating presidency of the economic bloc to boost the autonomy of its members to make deals.

Uruguay has also in the past pushed for greater flexibility within Mercosur after its independent negotiations with China in 2022 sparked opposition from fellow members.

The bloc's four members -- Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay -- last month struck a deal with the European Union that aims to create a 700-million person free-trade area.

S.Gantenbein--VB