I have no connection with Trump, the President of Brazil Lula tells BBC

Brazil President Louis Inasio Lula da Silva told the BBC in an exclusive interview that there is no “connection” with US President Donald Trump.

Lula often criticizes Trump, but this is the most signal signal, but he believes that communication between him and his colleague in the United States is already broken.

Although the US has a trade surplus with Brazil, Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods in July, citing the trial of former Brazil president Jeir Bolsonaro’s coup as a trigger.

Lula described the tariffs as “extremely political” and said US consumers would face higher prices for Brazilian goods as a result.

Trump’s tariffs affected the US exports of the United States, such as coffee and beef, which Lula said would be more expensive: “The American people will pay for the mistakes that President Trump is in his relationship with Brazil.”

The two leaders have never spoken directly to each other. When he pressed why he did not try to just pick up the phone or form a connection, President Lula said, “I never tried this call because he never wanted to have a conversation.”

Trump said earlier that Lula could “call him at any time.” But Lula insisted that the members of the Trump administration “do not want to talk”.

He told the BBC that he had learned about the US tariffs of Brazilian newspapers.

Referring to Trump, he said the US president “did not communicate in a civilized way. He just published them (tariffs) on his portal – on social media.”

Asked how he would describe his relationship with his colleague in the US, he just said, “There is no connection.”

Lula said his bad relationship with the US leader is an exception, listing how he has built up a relationship with former US presidents, premieres of the United Kingdom, EU, China, Ukraine, Venezuela and all countries in the world.

The Brazilian president attended the World War II festivities in Russia this year and has not shortened relations with President Putin. Asked with whom there is a better relationship with – Trump or Putin – he defended his relationship with the latter, saying that they had formed them when they were both presidents “in previous times”.

“I have no connection with Trump because when Trump was elected for the first time, I was not president. His relationship is with Bolsonaro, not Brazil,” Lula replied.

He also said that if he handed Trump to the UN General Assembly next week, he would “congratulate him because I am a civilized citizen”, but added that Trump may be “President of the United States, (but) he is not the emperor of the world!”.

The BBC addressed the White House for comment on Lula’s criticism of Trump, but had not yet received an answer during publication.

He also talks about his predecessor of the service, Jeir Bolsonaro, who was sentenced last week.

A 4-1 majority of judges in the Supreme Court of Brazil have admitted that the former president is guilty of thinking a coup after losing Lula’s election and sentenced him to 27 years in prison.

Lula told the BBC that Bolsonaro and his associates had “hurt the country, trying to coup and draw my death.”

Referring to the complaints of Bolsonaro’s lawyers, they said they would settle, Lula said he hoped Bolsonaro would continue to “present his defense”, but “he is guilty for now.”

He also criticized Trump for “inventing falsehoods”, claiming that Bolsonaro was persecuted and denied what the American leader said was a lack of democracy in Brazil.

Lula also told the BBC that if January 6th of the Capitol riots had happened in Brazil and not in the US, Trump would have been sued.

In a wide -ranging interview with BBC, he also argued for the reform of the United Nations.

He criticizes the fact that five countries – the permanent members of the UN Security Council – have the authority to veto a veto of decisions and claim that it tilts the balance in favor of those who have won World War II, with the exception of nations representing millions of people such as Brazil, Germany, India, as well as African.

The result, he said, was that the UN did not “had no power to resolve conflicts” all five permanent members made “one -sided” decisions about war.

He defended his continuing alliances with Russia and China, two nations where unfair elections and human rights violations were documented – while calling for a more “democratic” UN.

Pressed by the ongoing purchases of Brazil on Russian oil while Russia waged a war in Ukraine, he said Brazil was one of the first countries to condemn Russia from Ukraine and that “Brazil does not finance Russia, we buy oil from Russia because we have to buy oil just like China.”

He said that if the UN “functioned”, then neither the war in Ukraine nor the war in Gaza – which he described as “not war” but “genocide” – would happen.

The BBC also asked President Lula for the November climate summit COP30 when Brazil would host world leaders in the city of Belem.

The Brazilian president has been confronted with criticism of his support for exploration of oil near the mouth of the Amazon River.

The State Petroleum Company of Brazil Petrobas and other companies have purchased blocks for research and are expecting licenses.

His own environment minister, Marina Silva, strongly opposed plans and some conservation groups fear that she may risk the oil spills in the waters close to the Amazon.

President Lula insisted that Brazil strictly obeys the law in his research and if there are any oil spills, then “Brazil will be responsible and responsible and will take care of every problem.”

He added that he supported a world without fossil fuels, but “that moment has not come.”

“I want to know about any country that is ready to have an energy transition and capable of giving up fossil fuels,” he replied. But the question was controversial with left -wing voters.

Lula, who is 79 years old, said he had not yet decided whether he would run for the re -election of the 2026 presidential election.

He said that health and his party would determine this – as well as whether it was politically appropriate and whether he had a chance to win.

Lula slipped into the ballot box recently, but received a boost after Trump imposed tariffs on Brazil.

He concluded, saying that his inheritance involved a reduction in hunger, a reduction in unemployment and income of growing workers’ classes.