Brazilians 'masters of our own destiny', Lula tells Trump

Brasilia, Sep 11 (IANS) Brazil is a "sovereign country" and Brazilians are "masters of our own destiny", President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in a message addressed to his US counterpart Donald Trump.

The statement came a day after the White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the United States will not hesitate to use economic and military might to defend "freedom of expression," when she was asked about the ongoing trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Xinhua News Agency reported.

In response, Lula said: "If Trump comes, we will have to show him this panel so he can see it and compare it with the American panel. So he knows that we believe in ourselves. We are a sovereign country and we are masters of our own destiny. This is a demonstration of Brazilian competence in all areas."

On July 30, the Trump administration announced plans to impose tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Brazilian exports and sanction Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice. Moraes oversaw the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting to seize power following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.

Earlier in August, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said that Brasilia is not willing to be treated as lesser by others, in an indirect response to Washington amid rising tensions with the United States.

Addressing the second meeting this year of his ministerial cabinet on August 26, Lula rejected foreign impositions and stressed that no one in Brazil is above the law.

Stressing Brazil's sovereignty, Lula said: "Anyone who wants to enter these 8.5 million square kilometres, our airspace, our maritime space, our forests, must be accountable to our Constitution and our legislation."

The Brazilian president also made comments on Trump's imposition of steep tariffs on Brazilian goods and threats against any attempts to regulate large US technology companies.

The Brazilian government is willing to sit down at the negotiating table with the United States "on equal terms," Lula said, adding, "What we are not willing to accept is to be treated as if we were subordinates."

--IANS

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