Argentina's president seeks continued US support amid economic hardship as he meets Biden

NEW YORK

Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez met with his US counterpart Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday and asked Washington to back Buenos Aires’ efforts to renegotiate the terms of a $44 billion debt agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as his country grapples with an economic crisis.

''Argentina is going through the worst drought on record since 1929, which has very much complicated our economy, and we’re discussing this situation with financial institutions,'' Fernandez told reporters during his meeting with Biden.

''So we certainly look forward to your continued support,” he said.

Fernandez also said that the war in Ukraine had brought ''terrible damage'' to the world economy.

''We see the serious problem that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created,'' he added.

Biden thanked Fernandez for condemning the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

''I think we have an enormous opportunity to increase our economic interchange, our economic integration on everything from clean energy to critical minerals to technology to security,'' Biden said.

The White House later said in a statement that the two leaders committed to cooperate to strengthen democratic institutions and good governance practices in the region.