BRICS leaders denounce Trump trade wars and tariff blackmail

Brazilian President Lula, the BRICS chairperson, urged unity against rising trade barriers. By Peter Fabricius

- By Peter Fabricius

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has called on the BRICS nations to unite against the “tariff blackmail” of US President Donald Trump.

Without mentioning Trump or the US by name, Lula told a virtual BRICS summit on Monday, 8 September: “Our countries became victims of trade practices that are unjustified and illegal. The tariff blackmail has been normalised as a tool to conquer markets and to interfere in our domestic issues. The imposition of extraterritorial measures [is] threatening our institutions.”

Lula, who called the meeting as the chairperson of BRICS, was clearly speaking from the bitter experience of suffering 50% trade tariffs imposed on Brazil by Trump.

And, as he said, Trump has clearly used the tariffs to interfere in Brazil’s internal affairs, trying to force Lula to drop charges against his predecessor, the right-wing Jair Bolsonaro, for allegedly plotting a coup to stay in power after losing to Lula in the 2022 presidential elections.

Tension is rising in Brazil, with duelling rallies for and against Bolsonaro, as the verdict in his trial looms.