Escalation: Lula Critiques U.S. During UN Address

Lula opened the UN General Assembly with a sovereignty message aimed at Washington without naming it. “Brazil doesn’t fit in anyone’s backyard,” he said, warning of “resurgent hegemonic temptations” from the region’s “greatest military power.” He rejected any foreign role in fighting Brazil’s gangs, saying the country “will not outsource the responsibility of defending our borders” and “does not need aircraft carriers watching over our waters,” adding that he had offered Trump cooperation to stop gunrunning and money laundering instead.

He condemned the use of tariffs as “weapons of coercion and blackmail” and said the global trade body is “on life support.” He vowed Brazil will not yield to pressure to privatize PIX, the free instant-payment system run by its central bank. On critical minerals, he said foreign access will require value added inside Brazil, technology transfer, and supply to strategic national industries.

Tying the message to an election weeks away, he warned that “enemies of democracy, whether domestic or foreign,” will not be allowed to undermine the popular will and said “Brazilian democracy belongs to Brazilians.” He backed the Brazil–China “Group of Friends for Peace” on Ukraine, saying there will be “no winners on the battlefield” and that diplomacy is the only option. He said the UN’s credibility has “never been so low” and called for Security Council reform.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources