The United States and the tension with Lula: “Brazil is a sovereign country and will make its own decisions”

when the president Lula da Silva sat in February in the Oval Office with Joe Biden within days of taking office in Brazil, no one in Washington doubted he was opening a new and affable era in bilateral relations, with common interests such as environmental protection, defense of democracy and human rights. Both presidents had gone through similar traumatic experiences, such as the storming of the Capitol and the Planalto, and their rivals at the polls had accused them of fraud.

That optimistic postcard to the White House, among progressive leaders of the Western Hemisphere’s largest democracies, looked startlingly cracked.

In the corridors of US diplomacy, while not admitting it publicly, there is concern about certain attitudes that Lula has taken on in recent times which challenge Washingtonespecially his trip to China with surprising statements when he asked the United States to “stop encouraging war in Ukraine”.

Even experts in the bilateral relationship like this warn and speak out “cooling” and “recoil”.

lower the voltage

The State Department is trying to defuse the tension. Before a question of clariona US Foreign Office spokesman said, “President Biden and President Lula have developed a positive relationship in various conversations, including during President Lula’s visit to Washington.”

And he added: “Brazil is a sovereign country and will make its own decisions on its diplomatic engagements. United States of America it also has a trade relationship with Chinaas with about 200 countries of the world”.

However, the spokesman alluded to discrepancies“At the same time, we are confident in the strength of the relationship between the United States and Brazil, even if we disagree with some of the things President Lula said during his visit to China,” he added.

“We have been clear on the need to keep lines of communication open with Beijing and the importance of the US-China bilateral trade relationship, even amid strategic competition” between the two powers, he said.

And the spokesman remarked: “We are not asking the countries choose between the United States and China”.

A call from Washington

There was a phone call between National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Foreign Minister Celso Amorim on Tuesday, in which the American showed concern on Lula’s statements, according to O’Globo.

According to the Brazilian newspaper, for 5 minutes Sullivan “complained politely but firmly” about the veracity of Lula’s statements on Ukraine. The Biden official did not raise his tone, but he was very direct in saying that the United States does not match with the statements of the Brazilian.

The tension in the relationship didn’t start with Lula’s trip to Beijing and his statements about the war. the brazilian lost the second summit for democracy organized by Biden late last month and did not join the US statement at that forum condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Brazilian also did not accept a previous request by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz a send ammunition to aid Kiev’s war effort.

But alarm bells went off in Washington when Lula went to China and asked the United States and the European Union to “stop encouraging war” and “start talking about peace”. as she learned clarionBrazil’s attitude has been the subject of conversation in diplomatic circles and has also been discussed in meetings that Economy Minister Sergio Massa has had with US officials.

The reaction

Lula’s comment on China provoked a fierce public backlash of the Biden administration. “Brazil is rparot Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Washington has also closely followed the recent visit to Brasilia by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who praised Lula’s attitude towards the war.

“Regarding the trial in Ukraine, we are grateful to our Brazilian friends for your excellent understanding of the genesis of this situation,” said Lavrov, who also praised Lula’s efforts to promote “a peace club” of countries out west to help mediate between Moscow and Kiev.

This was stated by Aníbal Pérez Liñán, professor of Political Science and Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame clarion that the recent episodes “could cool the relationship between the United States and Brazil”, but, at the same time, the expert believes that “it is not a question that defines the relationship”.

“I don’t think it’s so central to the future of bilateral relations unless it becomes a systematic policy of Lula,” he said.

A central position

The expert added itBrazil was a pariah in the international system during the The presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. Partly because of the ecological issue, but above all because of Bolsonaro’s alignment with Trump. Lula is trying to recover a central position for Brazil in the regional system the Brics model, which he knew to have at the beginning of the 21st century. First with an approach to the US and now with this move with Russia. He wants to position Brazil as an independent actor with a certain capacity for dialogue, negotiation and mediation between the actors of the international system”.

However, Pérez Liñan warns that “the attempt at rapprochement with Russia in terms of mediation it is a very risky position why there a very strong international consensus in favor of kyiv. So equating Russia and Ukraine on the same level of conversation implies a moral fairness that international society is not willing to accept because Russia is clearly the aggressor and has violated the norms of the international system”.

This was stated by Andrew Janusz, professor of political science and an expert on Brazil at the University of Florida clarion that “there was a lot of hope in the relationship between the United States and Brazil when Lula visited the White House. Biden and Bolsonaro did not have a good relationship and this visit provided an opportunity to move on. However, I believe that Lula’s statements about Ukraine have slowed down this relationship. your statements are perceived negatively and Brazil is not seen by the United States as a neutral arbiter who can end the war.”

What advantage can this comparison bring to Lula? Janusz believes that “the president’s goal is to make Brazil a great power. Brazil has long perceived the international order as unequal and is challenging it (it already has, for example when it sought a nuclear deal with Iran against the will of the United States). I think Lula is trying to recover state of Brazil on the world stage”.

He added that “it is likely that economic considerations they also affect Lula’s behavior. In recent days, Brazil has strengthened its economic ties with both Russia and China. If the conflict in Ukraine ends, the reality is that Brazil’s economy would likely benefit and that would help Lula achieve some of his domestic goals.”

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