Brazil defies Trump’s threats, reaffirms commitment to Brics bloc

Brazil will strengthen its ties with the Brics group despite recent threats from US President Donald Trump, the Brazilian president’s top foreign policy adviser has said. The move signals President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration’s intent to diversify diplomatic and trade partnerships amid rising tensions with Washington.

Trump has issued warnings twice this month in connection with the Brics bloc, which held a summit hosted by Brazil. The US president threatened to impose a 10% tariff on any nation “aligning themselves” with what he called the “anti-American” alliance. He later escalated the rhetoric, pledging 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods and demanding an end to the trial of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of plotting a coup, Caliber.Az reports. 

Celso Amorim, Lula’s lead foreign affairs adviser, told the Financial Times that such attacks from Trump “are reinforcing our relations with the Brics, because we want to have diversified relations and not depend on any one country”.

Brics, which includes China, Russia and India, is seen by Lula’s government as a key pillar of a more multipolar global order. Amorim said Brazil would also seek stronger ties with countries in Europe, South America, and Asia.

Despite Brazil running a trade deficit with the US, the 50% tariff proposed by Trump would be among the highest announced in his current trade negotiations. Trump also accused Lula’s administration of implementing “a ridiculous censorship regime” and “very unfair” trade practices, while condemning Brazil for allegedly undermining free speech.

Lula has pushed back strongly, saying Trump was elected “not to be emperor of the world”. Referring to Trump’s actions during the January 6 Capitol riot, he added, “If Trump’s actions had been committed in Brazil, he would be standing trial.”

Amorim described Trump’s recent actions as unprecedented interference. “I don’t think even the Soviet Union would have done anything like this,” he said. “He was trying to act politically inside [Brazil] in favour of his friend.”

China remains Brazil’s top trading partner, having imported $94 billion in goods — mostly agricultural products and minerals — last year. However, Amorim said, “It’s not our intention” for China to become the main beneficiary of Trump’s tariffs.

Defending the Brics bloc, Amorim insisted it is not driven by ideology. With Brazil currently holding the rotating presidency of the group, he said the aim is to support a multilateral world order, especially as the U.S. retreats from global cooperation under Trump.

Amorim also urged the European Union to ratify its long-delayed trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc of South American nations. “If the European Union were intelligent, it would ratify it not just for the immediate economic gain but also for more balance in its relations,” he said.

He noted that Canada has expressed interest in pursuing a free trade agreement with Brazil, and suggested Lula’s final year in office would emphasize deeper South American integration. The continent, he said, trades less internally than any other global region — a longstanding concern for the Brazilian leader.

Quoting a well-known diplomatic adage, Amorim remarked that “countries have no friends, only interests,” but added that Trump appeared to be an exception. “Trump was an unusual case because he had ‘neither friends nor interests, just wishes’. The US president’s approach is ‘an illustration of absolute power’,” he said.

By Sabina Mammadli