Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Friday that countries cannot violate another nation’s sovereignty or constitution in the name of fighting drug trafficking.
Speaking to reporters in Jakarta, Indonesia, Lula was responding to comments by President Donald Trump, who recently said Latin American drug cartels were the ISIS of Western hemisphere.
“It would be much better if the U.S. were willing to talk with the police of other countries, with the justice ministries of other countries, to do something jointly,” Lula said. “If this becomes a trend, if each one thinks they can invade another’s territory to do whatever they want, where is the respect for the sovereignty of nations?”
Lula added that he intends to raise the issue with Trump during their in-person meeting Sunday in Malaysia, “if he brings it to the table.”
Venezuela is one of many topics Lula said he is willing to discuss with Trump, including tariffs on Brazilian exports. Lula spokes with reporters in Jakarta before traveling to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Malaysia.
Brazil's president plans to argue that the 50% tariffs imposed by Washington on Brazilian goods were a "mistake," citing a $410 billion U.S. trade surplus with Brazil over 15 years.
"There are no forbidden topics," Lula told reporters. "We can talk about Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Venezuela, critical materials, rare earths — anything."
Trump increased tariffs on U.S. imports of most Brazilian goods to 50% from 10% in early August, linking the move to what he called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula also criticized U.S. sanctions on Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial that led to Bolsonaro's conviction for attempting a coup.
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