Analysis: Lula indirectly criticizes Trump's policies at the G7
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) participated, on Tuesday (16), in the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, and took advantage of the meeting to make indirect criticisms of the United States government's policies.
Sitting practically face to face with the American president, Donald Trump, and the host, Emmanuel Macron, Lula spoke at a session on development without mentioning by name either Trump or the United States.
Criticism of protectionism and unilateralism
In his speech, the Brazilian president criticized neoliberalism, pointing it out as responsible for economic inequality.
He then stated that "protectionism and unilateralism resurface as fallacious responses to the complexity of our problems" - a reference, according to CNN's special envoy and senior International analyst, Américo Martins, to the tariffs imposed by Trump on several countries, triggering trade wars and protectionism in the American economy.
State sovereignty and transnational crime
Lula also defended respect for the sovereignty of States in combating transnational crime and drug trafficking, stating that this effort must incorporate dialogue and institutional cooperation, including through Interpol.
The statement was interpreted as a sideways criticism of the American government's decision to classify the PCC (Primeiro Comando da Capital) and the CV (Comando Vermelho) as terrorist entities - a unilateral decision with which the Brazilian government does not agree.
Meeting with Japanese leader and Mercosur agenda
Before the speech, Lula met with Sanae Takaichi, Prime Minister of Japan, to discuss the basis of a possible free trade agreement between Japan and the Mercosur countries. According to Lula, the announcement of the start of these negotiations should take place in Paraguay on June 30, during the Mercosur summit meeting.
Other topics at the summit
The summit was also marked by discussions on international conflicts. In the morning, the G7 leaders met with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for more pressure on Russia so that the country agrees to negotiate an end to the war.
In addition, leaders from Egypt, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates met with Trump to discuss the details of a deal between the United States and Iran to end the war in the Middle East.
The summit continues this Wednesday (17), with Lula scheduled to make two public appearances: one on economic inequalities and the other on artificial intelligence.
Analysis: lack of greeting between Lula and Trump has no special meaning
CNN International analyst Lourival Sant'Anna assessed that the fact that Trump did not go to greet Lula during the official summit photo should not be interpreted as a negative sign.
According to Lourival, the American president received Lula for three hours at the White House in March and had other priorities at the meeting, such as coordination around the Strait of Hormuz and conversations with Middle Eastern leaders involved in a US$300 billion fund linked to negotiations with Iran.
The analyst also highlighted that Trump clearly separates the commercial interests of the United States from personal relations with other leaders, highlighting that the so-called "chemistry" between the two does not mean concessions on issues such as tariffs or the Pix payment system - which, according to Lourival, is "a legitimate creation of Brazil" and should not be subject to retreat by the Brazilian government.
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Source: CNN