Brazil's Lula tells Trump he's not ‘emperor of the world'
In an interview with CNN on Thursday, Lula said he was surprised both by the content and the manner of Trump's threat, which was delivered via a letter posted on Truth Social last week. In it, Trump announced a blanket 50% tariff on all Brazilian goods starting August 1 and demanded an end to what he called a 'witch hunt' against the 'highly respected' former president Jair Bolsonaro, who stands accused of attempting to orchestrate a coup following his 2022 election defeat.
'When I read the letter, I thought it was fake news,' Lula said, describing the move as 'breaking away from any protocol, any liturgy, that should exist between the relations between two heads of state.'
'We cannot have President Trump forgetting that he was elected to govern the US – he was not elected to be the emperor of the world,' Lula stated. 'Brazil will not accept anything imposed on it. We accept negotiation, not imposition.'
While expressing openness to dialogue, Lula said Brazil is 'also preparing ourselves to give an answer' – despite Trump's warning that any retaliation could lead to even steeper tariffs.
'If President Trump is willing to take seriously the negotiations underway between Brazil and the US, then I'll be open-minded to negotiate whatever may be necessary,' Lula added.
Lula previously rejected Trump's claim that Brazil is responsible for trade imbalances, pointing to US government data showing a $410 billion US surplus in goods and services trade with Brazil over the past 15 years. Earlier this week, the US launched an official investigation to determine what was so 'unfair' about Brazil's trade practices.
Trump has previoulsy threatened an additional 10% tariff on all BRICS nations, accusing the bloc of trying to 'destroy the dollar as the global standard.' He further warned that Russia's trading partners could face a secondary 100% tariff unless the war in Ukraine is resolved within 50 days. Even at 50%, Brazil would face the highest US import tariff announced so far.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
Tulsi Gabbard releases ‘overwhelming evidence' of Obama-led plot against Trump
A US intelligence report on Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, commissioned by then President Barack Obama, constituted deliberate manipulation according to a bombshell release by the Trump administration on Friday. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard unveiled more than 100 pages of emails, memos, and other records, which she argued provides clear evidence of a 'conspiracy to subvert President Trump's 2016 victory' by top Obama officials. Described as 'overwhelming evidence,' the files detail how the Obama administration politicized intelligence to manufacture a narrative of Russian TO FOLLOW
Russia Today
6 hours ago
- Russia Today
Brazil slams NATO's Russia sanctions threats
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has slammed comments by the head of NATO about potential secondary sanctions on BRICS nations who trade with Russia. Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday declared that Brazil, India, and China would face 'consequences' if they maintained business ties with Russia. He singled out oil and gas trade, and urged the countries' leaders to call Russian President Vladimir Putin and push him to engage 'serious[ly]' in Ukraine peace talks. Brazil is a founding member of BRICS, formed in 2006 with Russia, India, and China. The economic bloc has since expanded to include South Africa, Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, the UAE, and Indonesia. Last year, BRICS approved a new 'partner country' status in response to growing membership interest shown by more than 30 countries. Speaking to CNN Brazil on Friday, Vieira dismissed Rutte's comments as 'totally absurd,' pointing out that NATO is a military bloc, not a trade body, and that Brazil is not a member. 'Brazil, like all other countries, handles commercial matters bilaterally or within the WTO framework. Therefore, these statements by Rutte are utterly unfounded and irrelevant,' Vieira said. He also noted that the EU – many of whose members are part of NATO – is a significant buyer of Russian energy. Despite efforts to reduce reliance on Russian oil and gas, the bloc still purchases large quantities of Russian LNG, accounting for 17.5% of its imports in 2024, industry data shows. Rutte's warnings follow a similar threat from US President Donald Trump, who this week announced new military aid for Ukraine and threatened 100% tariffs on nations trading with Russia, unless a peace deal is reached within 50 days. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized EU and NATO leaders for applying 'improper pressure' on Trump to adopt a hardline stance on the conflict. Moscow says it remains open to negotiations with Kiev but is still waiting for a response on when talks will resume. The two sides have held two rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul this year, but no breakthroughs were achieved, other than agreements to conduct large-scale prisoner exchanges.
Russia Today
11 hours ago
- Russia Today
German left criticizes Trump's Patriot plan
The US plan to funnel Patriot anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine through European NATO members may create 'strong profit prospects' for the American military-industrial complex but does nothing to pave the way to ending the conflict between Moscow and Kiev, the German Die Linke (The Left) party's parliamentary leader, Ulrich Thoden, has said. US President Donald Trump unveiled a plan to send American-made weapons to Ukraine during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday, with European NATO members footing the bill. The US president also said 'several nations' were ready to dispatch Patriot anti-aircraft systems from their own arsenals. Thoden criticized the plan, suggesting that the US should supply Kiev with the systems on its own rather than force European NATO members to either pay for them or further deplete their own dwindling arsenals. 'The US military has a sufficient number of Patriot air defense systems, and a free-of-charge transfer of a limited number would be easily feasible without compromising its own defense capability,' Thoden stated. Delivering these weapons will neither end the war nor ensure a Ukrainian victory, the politician warned. It would be better for Kiev's backers to focus on providing Ukraine with debt relief, while imposing more sanctions on Russia, Thoden suggested. Moscow has condemned the flow of Western-made weaponry to Ukraine, arguing that military aid only prolongs the conflict without having any impact on its ultimate outcome. Russia is unfazed by Trump's new scheme, as the flow of American weaponry to Kiev never actually stopped, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated. 'Many words have been said… It is a fact that arms supplies from the US have continued and continue to be supplied to Ukraine,' Peskov has said.
