Rubio says America is full of US friends and allies, but leaves Brazil out

US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, at a press conference at the White House this Tuesday (5)
REUTERS/Evan Vucci
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, defended this Tuesday (2) the US government's foreign policy for the Western Hemisphere - implemented by the State Department.
As an example, Rubio cited a wave of "coalition of friendly countries" on the American continent. But it placed Brazil on the list of exceptions of allies.
"It is fantastic that, apart from Nicaragua, Cuba, Venezuela and, of course, Brazil, although it is in the middle of an electoral cycle, and, to some extent Colombia, we have a region full of allies and friends of the United States", said Rubio.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) criticized Rubio this Tuesday (2), when commenting on the North American report that proposes a 25% surcharge on Brazilian products.
"It's been a while since I went to the US, this guy Marco Rubio is anti-Latin America. I've already told Trump that he [Rubio] doesn't like Brazil. He wasn't at the meeting," said Lula, in reference to the meeting he had with Trump in early May. talks were cut off in retaliation for Israeli attacks in Lebanon.
The Secretary of State also stated that the Iranian government agreed to discuss aspects of its nuclear program, the major point of disagreement between the two sides.
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"The conversations continue," Rubio told deputies at the session, the Secretary of State's first in the North American Congress since the start of the war in the Middle East.
This Tuesday, however, Iranian government sources told the Fars News news agency that Iranian and American negotiators have not spoken "for days". The Iranian break is a reaction to attacks that Israel has carried out on Lebanese territory in recent days, compromising the already fragile ceasefire in force between Washington and Tehran.
The ceasefire and the search for a definitive agreement should be one of the main questions that deputies and senators ask Rubio throughout the day. The Secretary of State's hearing was still ongoing until the last update of this report.
Rubio, who is a former Republican senator, will also participate in another hearing in the Senate on Wednesday (3).
Criticism of the war
Israel intensifies offensive in Lebanon and makes Iran halt negotiations with the US
Although this is the first time that Rubio testifies before Congress since the beginning of the war, Marco Rubio had already participated in a confidential meeting with parliamentarians a few days after the first attacks by the United States and Israel.
At the time, he faced criticism from Democrats for the lack of prior authorization from Congress for the operation, but received strong support from the majority of Republicans.
In the two months since the start of the conflict, however, a small but growing group of Republicans began to join Democrats in questioning the billion-dollar cost of the war and its economic impacts, especially on the eve of the mid-term legislative elections, scheduled for the second half of the year.
Last month, the Senate advanced, for the first time, a legislative proposal that would force Trump to withdraw the United States of the conflict. The measure gained momentum after Republican Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana supported the Democrats' initiative.
The US House of Representatives also scheduled a vote on a resolution related to the president's war powers, but the Republican leadership prevented the proposal from reaching the plenary after realizing that it would not have enough votes to defeat it.
The episodes highlight the difficulties of the Republican Party in maintaining political support for Trump's conduct of the war, as parliamentarians from the base are more willing to contradict the president.
👉 Already members of the government, including Rubio, have defended the Trump's decision to start war against Iran, despite promises made over the years to avoid US involvement in "endless wars" in the Middle East.
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Source: G1