Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said U.S. President Donald Trump has acted with bias on international issues and called for stronger multilateralism to resolve disputes.
Lula said Trump has the right to govern the United States but cannot interfere in the governance of other countries. He said Brazil favored dialogue and negotiations with the United States, stressing that they would not accept imposition from outside.
Criticizing Trump’s approach to governance, Lula said he rejected the attitude that “I am the strongest, I am the richest, I can do whatever I want and everyone else must obey me.”
Allegations against Maduro
Lula said the allegations against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should not be limited to political statements. Saying that Maduro should stand trial if he had committed wrongdoing, Lula called for the allegations to be addressed through an investigation and judicial process.
The Brazilian president argued that the U.S. stance toward Venezuela created the impression that Washington was governing Caracas. Lula said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s approach had reinforced that impression, adding that it did not serve Venezuela’s sovereignty or democracy.
Call to respect sovereignty and end wars
Lula said the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states must be protected, adding that an order in which one country could interfere in another could not be sustained. He said the world could not continue to exist under such rules.
Lula also said countries with large economies, advanced technologies, powerful militaries and nuclear weapons should work to end wars and establish peace. Instead, he argued, these countries were fueling conflicts.
Lula had previously called on Trump not to interfere in Brazil’s elections scheduled for October 4 and said states should mutually respect one another’s sovereignty.
