US Deputy Trade Representative Presses Argentina to Ratify Bilateral Tariff Deal

US Deputy Trade Representative Jeff Goettman visited Buenos Aires on August 28, 2026, meeting Economy Minister Luis Caputo and Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno to discuss the bilateral Reciprocal Trade and Investment Agreement (ARTI), signed February 5, 2026. Goettman praised Argentina's 'notable economic and fiscal transformation' under Milei, saying the US 'will continue to honor its commitments' while pressing Buenos Aires to complete Congressional ratification so the deal can enter into force (60 days after both countries finish their legal procedures). Under ARTI, Argentina must immediately eliminate tariffs on 221 US products (medicines, machinery, technology, vehicles), cut duties to 2% on 20 more items, and grant duty-free quotas for 57 categories; in exchange the US expanded Argentina's beef export quota from 20,000 to 100,000 tons. Bilateral trade figures released alongside the visit showed Argentine exports to the US reached nearly $6 billion in January–July 2026 (+38% year-on-year), making the US Argentina's second-largest export market at 10% of total exports, with a 2026 bilateral trade surplus of roughly $2 billion. As of the visit, Argentina's Congress had not yet ratified the agreement.