“Tariff blackmail is being normalized as an instrument to conquer markets and to interfere in domestic affairs,” said the Brazilian head of state, according to remarks released by the Presidency. He argued that “the imposition of extraterritorial measures threatens Brazilian institutions and restricts the freedom to strengthen trade with friendly countries.”
The United States has imposed 50% tariffs on several Brazilian products and sanctions on various Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro for attempting a coup, with a ruling expected by Friday.
In his address at the summit, convened by Brazil and translated into English on the South African Presidency’s official YouTube channel, Lula also criticized the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, stating that “the presence of the armed forces of the world’s largest power in the Caribbean Sea is a factor of tension incompatible with the region’s vocation for peace.”
He highlighted that Latin America and the Caribbean have been a zone of peace since the signing of the 1968 Treaty of Tlatelolco, which prohibited the use of nuclear weapons in the region. Lula was referring to the recent U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean, which includes eight warships armed with missiles and a nuclear-powered submarine operating in waters near Venezuela.
Tensions escalated last week after U.S. forces attacked a boat allegedly departing Venezuela with eleven people on board, whom Washington identified as drug traffickers.
In his remarks, Lula also urged BRICS countries to continue defending multilateralism “with one voice” in international forums, especially at the United Nations. “Divide and conquer is the strategy of unilateralism. It is up to BRICS to show that cooperation overcomes any form of rivalry,” he said.
The Brazilian President further called on BRICS to support Brazil’s longstanding bid for an expanded UN Security Council, an ambition the country has pursued for decades.
BRICS, founded in 2009, is currently composed of 11 emerging economies and serves as a forum for political, economic and social cooperation in the Global South. In addition to the five founding members — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — it also includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran.
