Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (left) walking throughout the White House next to US President Joe Biden (right) on February 10, 2023. Photo: Adam Schultz/White House.
On Saturday, US officials interviewed by the Brazilian outlet Folha reported on the Biden administration’s views regarding statements made by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his visit to China, calling the statements “outrageous.”
“Despite declaring itself neutral in the geopolitical dispute between the United States and China, Brazil seems to have clearly aligned itself with China and Russia,” they stated.
Lula told reporters in Beijing on Saturday, April 15, that the US should stop inciting war in Ukraine. “America needs to stop fomenting war and start talking about peace; the European Union needs to start talking about peace so that we can convince [Russian President Vladimir] Putin and [Ukrainian President Volodimir] Zelensky that peace is in everyone’s interest, and that war is only in their own interest for now,” he said.
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This statement made by the Brazilian president attributes the responsibility for the war between Russia and Ukraine to the United States, according to the aforementioned US officials. Furthermore, the officials expressed that “the most problematic thing” is Lula’s vision of the US as an obstacle to ending the conflict, as shown by his indication of China and Russia as the main countries capable of bringing about peace.
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According to the officials interviewed by Folha, Brazilians have “not only failed to value balance in their positions, but have adopted a clear opposition to Washington.”
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Going even further, the US officials accused the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mauro Vieira and Lula’s Chief Advisor of the Presidency Celso Amorim of adopting “a tone of antagonism against the United States.”
Why is Lula visiting China?
The Asian giant has been Brazil’s largest trading partner for 14 years. Although trade in agricultural products, minerals, and oil remains stable, Chinese investment in the South American country continues to grow in infrastructure and public welfare projects.
In order to facilitate investment, both countries have recently agreed to continue transactions in their own currencies, from Brazilian reais to Chinese yuan and vice versa, without requiring the dollar in their bilateral trade.
(HispanTV)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/KZ
