Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that he plans to raise the issue of foreign interference in Brazil’s elections when he attends the United Nations General Assembly next week.
Lula, who is scheduled to address the annual UN gathering in New York on Tuesday, said he intends to deliver a direct message to US President Donald Trump, who is expected to attend the Assembly. “I’m going to the UN meeting to have a conversation with Trump and tell him: don’t meddle in the elections in Brazil,” Lula said during a campaign stop in Ceilandia, a working-class area of Brasilia.
Brazilian Foreign Ministry official Carlos Bicalho Cozendey, however, said there was no formal bilateral meeting scheduled between Lula and Trump. He said the two leaders would likely cross paths at the UN Assembly, as they did last year.
The comments come amid strained relations between Brazil and the United States. Washington imposed two additional rounds of tariffs on Brazilian products in July. Lula has criticised the measures, arguing that they amount to economic pressure connected to Brazil’s upcoming election.
Tensions between the two governments intensified in 2025 after Washington imposed its first tariffs on Brazilian goods. The move came amid the legal proceedings against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a political ally of Trump and the father of right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro.
Jair Bolsonaro was later convicted over allegations linked to an attempt to overturn the election result and stage a coup.
With Brazil heading toward another presidential election, Lula has maintained that the country’s political process should remain free from external interference. His planned appearance at the UN is expected to provide an international platform for that message.
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