USA, Israel and Venezuela: See similarities and differences between lula government with other countries

Since assuming the Presidency of the Republic for his third term, in January 2023, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) has dedicated part of the agenda to discuss issues related to foreign policy, traveling to other countries to meetings with heads of state and government and attending multilateral organizations. In an interview: political scientist analyzes Lula about sovereignty and ministers internally, this is the so -called presidential diplomacy, in which the President of the Republic is directly involved in issues related to articulations and diplomatic negotiations, conducted primarily by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under the guidelines of the Planalto Palace. Examples of this diplomacy are the conversations that Lula had throughout the third term with Russian presidents Vladimir Putin, and Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, about the war between the two countries, the articulation with Brics countries in the face of US tariffs and the search for the conclusion of trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union. Currently, however, the Lula government is undergoing governments with governments from three countries: United States, Israel and Venezuela. Given this, the G1 list below some similarities and differences related to these frictions: Leady similarities are not spoken. The United States is Brazil’s second largest commercial partner in the world, behind only China, but Lula and President Donald Trump have not been spoken since the American took office in January this year. Recently, the Trump government has imposed a 50% rate on part of Brazilian products sold to the US market. Parallel to the commercial issue, Trump mentioned the legal issue of former President Jair Bolsonaro, defendant in the Supreme Court (STF) for crimes such as attempted coup, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and criminal organization. For Trump, the ally is the target of a “witch hunt”. Lula has already said that he agrees to talk to Trump, but only about commercial issues, adding that while the American president wants to decide how Brazilian institutions should act, the Brazilian will not talk to the White House head. The petista understands that this is a matter of respect for the sovereignty of Brazil. Lula: If Trump wants to negotiate, Lulinha Paz and Love is back in the case of Israel, Lula and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have not been said since the Brazilian compared what happens in Gaza to what Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime did against the Jews. The president has also said that the government of Israel promotes a “genocide” of Palestinians, and Brazilian chancellor Mauro Vieira has already stated that there is a “carnage” ongoing. Lula was declared “persona non grata” by the Israeli government and, recently, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz compared Lula to a puppet from Iran. Regarding Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, Lula and former ally, Hugo Chavez’s political heir, no longer have been spoken since the Brazilian – as well as other international and multilateral bodies – passed through To collect the disclosure of the so -called electoral minutes of the 2024 election. The National Electoral Council (CNE), an equivalent body of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), acknowledged Maduro as winner of the election, but the opposition states that there was fraud and that, if the electoral minutes were released, they would demonstrate the victory of Edmundo González. The Venezuelan Supreme Court, aligned with Maduro, prohibited the disclosure of the minutes and recognized his reelection. See Maduro’s authoritarian scales in Venezuela attacks on Brazil in this scenario of friction with Brazil, countries began to drive attacks to Brazil and reproduce false information. Trump, for example, said in a letter addressed to Lula that the trade relationship between the two countries is deficient to the United States, while actually Americans profit in the relationship with Brazil. That is, the US exports the most to Brazil that imports, in added value. The Netanyahu government, in turn, accuses Lula of being a “supporter of Hamas”, while official statements from the Brazilian government released since the war on the region condemn the attacks on both sides, calling “terrorists” the attacks on Israel by the group that controls the Gaza Strip. Nicolás Maduro, from the moment Lula began to charge the disclosure of electoral minutes, decided to disclose lies about the Brazilian electoral process, stating, for example, that the elections in the country are not audited. Pressure by agreement Another similar point in these friction is that the Lula administration has charged negotiation or compliance with agreements already signed by these countries. In the case of Venezuela, Brazil demands compliance with the so -called Barbados agreement, which provided for clean and transparent elections in Venezuela, with the effective participation of the opposition. Given the scenario that was established, with opponents unable to register candidacies and being arrested, and the non -disclosure of the minutes, the Planalto Palace began to say that there was a “break of confidence” in relation to the mature government. In the case of the United States, Brazil charges negotiations around the tariff. The Lula government has called the World Trade Organization (WTO), and several first -level members have tried to discuss the issue with Trump’s advisers, such as Chancellor Mauro Vieira and Ministers Geraldo Alckmin (Industry and Commerce) and Fernando Haddad (Fazenda). Regarding the Netanyahu government, Brazil has been charging compliance with agreements that guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid uninterruptedly into Gaza. International reports have shown that this help has faced difficulties to reach Palestinians, which Brazil has said it can configure war crime. The Brazilian government has also argued that the Israeli government and Hamas reach a permanent ceasefire agreement. Lula reinforces criticism of the war in Gaza and Trump: ‘We are not willing to be treated as subordinate’ differences from friction origins the origins of these friction are distinct, go through commercial, political and diplomatic issues. In the case of the United States, the origin of friction is commercial with political and even diplomatic components. The Trump government claims that it is necessary to impose a 50% rate on Brazilian products because the business relationship with Brazil causes damage to the US economy, which contradicts official numbers. In addition, Trump addresses Bolsonaro’s legal issue. The Lula government states that it agrees to discuss the commercial issue, but not the situation of the former President of the Republic. Recently, as Trump did not name Ambassador in Brazil, the country’s business officer, Gabriel Escobar, was summoned by Itamaraty to explain publications made by diplomatic representation about Brazil, with criticism of STF Minister Alexandre de Moraes, for example. In relation to Israel, the origin of friction is diplomatic. Lula said in 2024 that Israel practices in Gaza the same as Hitler practiced against the Jews. Since then, the Brazilian government has reiterated that there is a “genocide” and a “carnage”, arguing that Netanyahu troops leave the region completely, adding that Israelis act like “settlers” with the Palestinians. Currently, the two countries do not maintain ambassadors in Brasilia or Tel Aviv, only in charge. In diplomatic language, this demonstrates the dissatisfaction of one country with the other. Israel lowers relations with Brazil after diplomatic impasse with Venezuela, the origin of friction is political. The Maduro government reacted badly to Lula’s collection, as well as other international leaders, that electoral minutes should have been released. Maduro was recognized president by the CNE and the Supreme Court, but the opposition says that the disclosure would prove the victory of Edmundo González. Before the election, when Maduro said that if the international community did not want Venezuela in a “bloodbath”, he would have to guarantee the “biggest victory in history” in the country. Lula said he was “scared”, and Maduro said “who was startled to have a chamomile tea.” As diplomacy has dealt with each country, Brazil has adopted a different strategy. In the case of the United States, Chancellor Mauro Vieira had recent contact with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The assessment is that Gabriel Escobar, the current head of the US embassy in Brazil, is not a direct emissary of Trump, so he would not have the White House endorsement to negotiate the tariff. As for Israel, since 2024 Brazil has been without ambassador in the country, leaving the embassy in Tel Aviv under the command of a business officer. In diplomatic language, this reinforces the Netanyahu government that relationships are shudder. Regarding Venezuela, President Lula’s special advisor to international affairs, Celso Amorim, has already stated that there was a “breach of confidence” between the two countries, which led the Maduro government to call the ambassador back to the country in Brasilia. Consequences The consequences have been distinct from friction with these countries. In the case of the United States, the tariff was implemented – partially, as some products have entered a list of exceptions defined by the US government – and STF ministers suffered sanctions, such as Alexandre de Moraes. Regarding Israel, diplomatic relations were recently “downgraded” after Brazil ignored the nomination of a new ambassador of the country. In the case of Venezuela, Lula and Maduro, hitherto allies, have not been spoken for about a year. ‘Route Correction’ for Professor Amâncio Jorge of the University of São Paulo International Relations Department (USP), Lula should have already tried a “route correction” regarding the way of dealing with the United States in the face of tariff, although the petista is “completely correct” by not accepting the issue of former president Bolsonaro with the American. In the teacher’s assessment, Lula’s more “hard” tone may have positive internal reflexes for the president, but “hindering” negotiations with the US. Lula and Trump Adriano Machado/Reuters; Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters “If the goal is to raise internal support, the hard tone gives a more powerful image with electoral potential. To mitigate, although it does not completely solve [ o tarifaço]the tone makes it difficult. So it depends a lot on what the goal is. It seems to me to be a message, more than anything, electoral, although firmness is necessary, “he said. For the teacher, this is a” new moment “of Brazilian foreign policy, with the country taking side in international discussions due to internal strategies, but simultaneously considering the international scenario as a whole – as exemplified by the most intense approach to the BRICS countries. between Russia and Ukraine or between Israel and Hamas because it has given a “larger step than the leg”. Some conflicts in the Middle East, idem. Brazil, in the belief that it could do this, seems to me that it has taken a step larger than the leg. In Latin America, Brazil had more stature, but even in the region it seems to me that Brazil has lost some level of protagonism, “he said.” I think there is a sum of both: attitudes outside the tone and context, “he added.

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