Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned US President Donald Trump against interfering in the Brazilian presidential elections scheduled for October. The remarks came against the backdrop of Trump's latest criticism of Brazil over judicial moves against Lula's political rivals.
A journalist read out Trump's remarks to Lula during a news conference following the G7 summit in France's Evian-les-Bains, which Lula attended. The Brazilian leader said they demonstrated that Trump “doesn't know Brazil well”.
"Don't interfere in Brazil's elections, because Brazil's elections are Brazil's business.”, Lula warned Trump.
The remarks show the escalating tensions between Brazil and the US after the Trump administration proposed further tariffs against the South American country. The tariffs were first imposed last year by Trump citing a “witch-hunt trial” against Jair Bolsonaro, former Brazilian president and Trump ally.
Trump's tariffs and criticisms have prompted Lula to frequently defened Brazil's sovereignty.
Lula also has complained about US sanctions imposed on Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes over what the Trump administration called his politically motivated role in prosecuting Bolsonaro, who was convicted of attempting a coup to try to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to Lula.
-With agency inputs from AP