Paraguay's ambassador to the United States, Gustavo Leite, announced on his social media that he met with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to thank him for their joint work and to bid farewell to his diplomatic post. Leite stated he would return to the country in mid-July to retake his Senate seat, from which he had been on leave.
“I visited Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau to thank him for our joint work, to say goodbye so I can take my seat as senator, and to assure the disposition of the government and the Senate majority to continue building a vigorous bilateral relationship,” Leite wrote.
Leite's departure from the embassy was anticipated on April 20 by Natalicio Chase, leader of the Colorado Party bloc in the upper house. With Leite's return, alternate Carlos Liseras — who had taken office on April 22 in place of Hernán Rivas and, before that, of Erico Galeano — will leave his post. Rivas resigned on May 8, two weeks after requesting an indefinite leave to deal with legal issues related to an alleged fake law degree.
In recent days, Leite also commented on negotiations to establish a direct air route between Asunción and Miami. In a statement, the diplomat said that in October 2025, the Paraguayan government, through the National Directorate of Civil Aviation (Dinac) and with support from President Santiago Peña, offered American Airlines a $5 million incentive, plus additional benefits, to operate four weekly flights on the route. According to Leite, the proposal was not accepted by the airline.
The ambassador argued that this type of financial incentive is common for new international routes until they achieve operational profitability, citing the case of Air Europa as a precedent. However, Dinac President Nelson Mendoza contested the account, stating that the institution has no power to pay to attract an airline. “They asked for a postponement; we asked if it was to take off, and the request was for postponement due to the increase in fuel,” Mendoza said.