Source: United Nations (video statements)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva today (24 Sep) said he expects that when he meets with United States President Donald Trump, there will be “no limits” on the issues to be discussed, but “what is not discussable is Brazil’s sovereignty.”
Lula said, “the US and Brazil are the largest democracies in the continent, in the Americas. We have many business interests in common. We have many industrial interests in common. We have many technological and scientific interests. And we have a lot of interest in the debate about digital platforms and artificial intelligence and on trade issues. So, if we are the two largest economies of the Americas, there’s no reason so that Brazil and the US should face conflict.”
On the current state of the world, he said, “it’s not normal what’s going on in Russia and Ukraine. It’s not normal what’s going on in Gaza. It’s not normal the amount of conflicts that we have, the largest number of conflicts since the Second World War, and it’s not normal the amount of countries that are spending trillions of dollars in arms spending, we should spend trillions of dollars to end hunger. 733 million people in the world are in hunger. It’s not normal the inequality that exists on the planet.”
On United Nations reform, the Brazilian President said, “the picture of the 2025 world is not the same as 1945. Countries have evolved. Humanity has evolved. We need to have more countries. We need to stop the veto power in the UN, and above all, in relation to climate, what we need is that when we take a position, that we put it to a vote. We need everyone to comply with this decision.”
On the future meeting with the US President, he said, “I expect that a conversation between two heads of state we can put on the table what are the issues, what are the problems, what are our differences. And then we start to make decisions. I am convinced that some decisions that were made by President Trump was due to the fact of the quality of info that he was getting vis-a-vis Brazil, and the moment that he has the correct information to him, I think he can change his position very easily. At the same way Brazil could change its position.”
Da Silva said, “we need to sit down. We need to bring to the table all the problems. The problem that he has in relation to Brazil, the problem that we have in relation to the US, and them from that moment we start discussing it. So, what is not discussable is Brazil’s sovereignty. It is our democracy. This is something which is not under discussion, nor for President Trump, nor any president in the world.”
He said, “we have a trade flow which is very important. So, I’m not sure who said to President Trump that he had a trade deficit with Brazil. He has had a 410 billion surplus in the last 15 years. So, I don’t know who gave him this piece of information. I hope they know. Sitting at the table, me, him you know, his advisors, my advisors that we may be able to re-establish the necessary harmony that we need between Brazil and the US.”
On the Middle East conflict, he said, “there’s not a war going on in Gaza. It’s a genocide that’s going on. A very strongly military army against a defenceless people, especially women and children.”
He said, “this genocide is only happening because the one that can stop it did not take any action. The UN Security Council could have taken stronger decisions. The same UN that had the strength to build the Israeli state should have strength to build a Palestinian state.”
On the upcoming 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) that will take place in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November, he said “I hope that will have all the heads of state participate. I would love that President XI Jinping participates, President Trump participates. And Prime Minister Modi. I would enjoy everybody participating because now it’s the time for truth and when we’re dealing with climate, we have to decide, do we want to be respected by the world that we represent or we’re going to fool around with climate issues?”
Finally, on the Russia-Ukraine war, he said, “Putin thought that he was going to win the war really quickly. And I think that Zelensky thought, that with the help from the US in Europe would mean that they would, win it very quickly, and it didn’t happen. And this has been going on for three years already. So, I think that people are already in that limit of negotiation. No one is brave enough to say this, but I think everyone has their limits for negotiations. I had made a proposition based on the document signed by Brazil in China for the creation of a group of friends for peace that the Secretary-General of the UN, for him to bring together a group countries that wanted to build peace, for them to visit Moscow, to talk to Putin and then go to Kyiv to talk to Zelensky and build a proposition to make that proposition publicly.”