President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil is capable of governing itself without foreign interference and criticised local politicians who are encouraging “attacks” on the nation.
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“We maintain friendly relations with all countries, but we do not accept orders from anyone,” Lula said in a televised speech on the eve of Independence Day. “Brazil has a single owner: the Brazilian people.”
Lula has accused Donald Trump of attempting to intervene in Brazilian affairs after the US president demanded Brazil’s Supreme Court end a trial of Jair Bolsonaro, the former president who is facing charges that he attempted a coup after losing the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, has spent months in the US lobbying it to target Brazil and has continued pushing the Trump administration for additional pressure as his father’s legal woes deepen.
Trump has already placed Magnitsky Act sanctions and revoked the US visa of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is spearheading proceedings against the right-wing former leader.
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Brazil plans to retaliate against US tariffs that partly aim to free former leader Bolsonaro
Brazil plans to retaliate against US tariffs that partly aim to free former leader Bolsonaro
In his remarks on Saturday, Lula said that it “is inadmissible the role of some Brazilian politicians who encourage attacks on Brazil”.