‘Even the Soviet Union’ would do what Trump is doing with Brazil, Amorim tells the Financial Times

Trump’s tariff: Lula returns to talk about negotiating difficulties with the US Celso Amorim, the main foreign policy advisor of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, criticized in an interview with the British Economic newspaper Financial Times the Donald Trump government threat to impose a 50% rate on Brazilian exports on the US. Amorim told the newspaper that the Republican’s attempt to interfere with Brazilian internal affairs has no precedent “or in colonial times.” “Not even the Soviet Union would have done something like this,” he said, pointing out that Trump is trying to act politically within Brazil in favor of former President Jair Bolsonaro, “his friend.” 📱 Bake the G1 app to see real -time news and for free the tariffs were announced by Trump on July 9 and should be valid from August 1st. The US president cited as a reason for taxation the treatment given to Bolsonaro by the Brazilian court in the process in which the former Mandanker and ally of the Republican is accused of plotting a coup d’état. For Trump, it is a “witch hunt” against the ally. Lula said the threat is an “unacceptable blackmail.” In the interview with FT, Amorim reaffirmed the Brazilian decision to deepen his participation in the Brics Block, formed by Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa, despite Trump’s pressures. The Republican imposed a 10% surcharge on countries aligned with the BRICS, which considers an anti-web group, and criticized Lula’s lines preaching a “decalarization” of the world economy during the bloc meeting in Rio earlier this month. “What is happening is reinforcing our relations with the BRICS, because we want to diversify our relations and not depend on any country,” said Amorim, noting that Brazil also intends to strengthen bonds with countries in Europe, Asia and South America. Celso Amorim, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and special advisor to the Presidency of the Republic for international affirms Getty Images via BBC, although China is the largest commercial partner in Brazil. Imports that reached $ 94 billion in products mainly agricultural and minerals last year, the former chancellor denied that Brazil wants Beijing to be the main beneficiary of high American tariffs. At the same time, Amorim rejected that BRICS has ideological character, defending the bloc as a way of supporting the global multilateral order, especially in the face of US unilateral and isolationist stance under Trump. Lula’s counselor also asked the European Union to quickly ratify the trade agreement with Mercosur, noting that ratification would bring not only immediate economic gains but also greater balance in global relations. The international advisor also mentioned that Canada showed interest in negotiating a free trade agreement with Brazil and indicated that the last year of the Lula government will focus on the integration of South America, a region that sells less internally than any other in the world. For Amorim, Trump is an unusual case in diplomacy: “Countries have no friends, they have interests; but Trump has neither friends nor interests, just desires.” He stated that the former president’s approach is “an illustration of absolute power.” Lula’s advisor to Financial Times advisor happens at a time when the Brazilian government seems to consider the entry into force of Trump’s tariff next Friday. Brazilian authorities and Lula himself has publicly complained about not having negotiating channels with the White House. Last Friday (25), the Brazilian agent said that US President Donald Trump was induced to believe “in a lie” that former President Jair Bolsonaro is suffering a persecution. “Bolsonaro is not my problem, it is a Brazilian justice problem,” said the president during an event in Osasco (SP). “If President Trump had called me, I would certainly explain to him what is happening to the former president,” he said. Lula was available to negotiate the taxation of 50% to Brazilian exports and said he scaled an “excellent negotiator” for the task, the vice president and minister of industry and commerce, Geraldo Alckmin. Already opposition governors, such as Tarcísio de Freitas (São Paulo), Ronaldo Caiado (Goiás) and Ratinho Jr. (Paraná) criticized the Federal Government’s strategy at an investor event in São Paulo. Ratinho Jr. (PSD) called “lack of intelligence” Lula’s speech about decalarization of trade. “Bolsonaro is no more important than this commercial relationship between the United States and Brazil,” he said. None of the governors quoted Trump’s demand on Bolsonaro.

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