The presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva, and his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, yesterday lashed out at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Brazilian president predicted that negotiations with Washington would fail if Rubio were to lead them. “He opposes our allies in Venezuela, Cuba, and Argentina,” Lula said.
He stressed that his country seeks relations of equality, not subordination, with the US.
The statement revealed his distrust of the influential Republican politician, whom he considers an ideological obstacle to any attempt at constructive cooperation.
The Brazilian president insisted that Washington's representatives "must truly understand and respect Brazil," while emphasizing that his country seeks relationships of equality, not subordination.
Lula met with President Trump last Sunday, the 26th. During the meeting, they discussed the revocation of the tariffs the US has imposed on the South American giant.
Following Lula's accusation, the Colombian president accused the Secretary of State of being a "stumbling block" to relations with Latin America.
“Marco Rubio has become a sectarian obstacle to the peaceful encounter between the US and the Americas,” he said on the social network X.
Both Petro and Lula have spoken out against military aggression by the United States in the region. The Brazilian president has been emphatic in recently pointing out that: “Latin America doesn’t need more invasions. It needs respect, cooperation, and justice.”
Since last September, the US has escalated its strategy of intimidating Venezuela with a possible military intervention by deploying warships in the Caribbean Sea, arguing a supposed fight against drug trafficking.
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