Brazil’s President, Lula da Silva, strongly condemned the conflict between the US and Israel concerning Iran. Speaking to “Spiegel” Lula added that “Trump was not elected to be the emperor of the world. It cannot be right that Trump starts a war with Iran, because it will be the poor people in Africa or Latin America who pay the price of this conflict, people who have to spend more money on beans, meat, and vegetables”.
Lula also criticized the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro by a US military unit, as well as American interference in Cuba. He stressed that “the self-determination of peoples, their territorial integrity, and sovereignty must not be violated. Just as Putin had no right to march into Ukraine, Trump has no right to intervene in Venezuela or threaten Cuba”.
Regarding Maduro’s successor, Delcy Rodríguez, Lula noted she faces a challenging task, stating she “must find a way to pacify Venezuela and advance democratization”. He shared that if he were in her position, he would have taken office and announced elections within six months. However, he concluded by saying, “But I cannot presume to say what is best for Venezuela”.
He offered to deliver medicine and food supplies to Cuba to ease the supply crisis on the Caribbean island, but he rejected oil shipments because “our Petrobras shares are traded on Wall Street”.
Furthermore, Lula praised the free trade agreement between the EU and the South American economic bloc, Mercosur, which is set to take effect on May 1st. He acknowledged that Germany currently holds a trade surplus with Brazil of seven billion dollars, stating that he aims for a more balanced relationship. “Brazil should produce more quality goods and sell them in Germany” he advised.
During the opening of the Hannover Messe on Sunday, where Brazil is the partner country this year, Lula shared anecdotes about his trip. He mentioned past disagreements between Germany and Brazil, recalling how Chancellor Friedrich Merz had disparaged the conference location of Belém after the COP30 environmental conference in Brazil. Lula advised Merz that he should visit a local restaurant to experience local life. Bringing up his own travel habits, he said he always tries local delicacies when traveling abroad, admitting that he once ate a sausage bought from a street stall during a visit to Angela Merkel’s office.
When asked about running for re-election in the October presidential election, Lula gave an evasive answer, saying it “depends”. He mentioned that there will be a party congress where his party will discuss the main candidates, and he is preparing for it, asserting, “My head and body are 100 percent fit. I want to live to be 120 years old”.
Concerning the elections, current polls suggest a tight race between Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro, the eldest son of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was convicted of 27 years in prison for an attempted coup last year and is currently under house arrest due to health reasons. Lula declared confidently, “We will win this election. There is no place for fascists here. This right-wing ideology that rules the world has no future”.
