Brazilian President Lula says he will discuss Trump's tariffs with BRICS group

(Patria) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva presented himself as a proponent of multilateralism in an interview with Reuters, revealing a plan to invite leaders of India and China to discuss a joint BRICS response to tariffs on American imports imposed by President Donald Trump.

"What President Trump is doing is being ignored - he wants to dismantle multilateralism, where agreements are made collectively within institutions, and replace it with unilateralism, where he negotiates one-on-one with other countries," Lula said.

"What negotiating power does a small Latin American country have against the United States? None."

Lula said he would initiate a discussion within the BRICS group on how to confront Trump's tariffs. He said he plans to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, followed by Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping and other leaders. The group also includes Russia and other members.

"I will try to talk to them about how each of them is navigating this situation, what the implications are for each country, so that we can make a decision," he said. "It is important to remember that BRICS has ten countries in the G20," he added, referring to the group that brings together the twenty largest economies in the world.
Lula emphasized that Brazil now presides over BRICS and said he wants to discuss with allies why Trump is attacking multilateralism and what his goals might be.

Trump last month called BRICS "anti-American" and threatened to impose an additional ten percent tariff on goods imported from these countries, as the group gathered for a summit in Rio de Janeiro. Some of the highest tariffs Trump imposed were on imports from these countries.

Brazil climbed to the top of the list last month, when Trump imposed a fifty percent tariff on most of the country's exports for what he called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro.

On Wednesday, Trump threatened to impose another 25% tariff on imports from India due to the country's reliance on Russian oil, which would be added to the existing 25% tariffs.

A thirty percent tariff on goods from China and South Africa is also among the highest Trump has imposed, although some Chinese products face additional tariffs.