Brazil does not want ‘a new Cold War’, says President Lula

Al Jazeera · Feb 22, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Lula says he wants to tell US President Trump that Brazil wishes for all countries to be treated ‘equally’.Published On 22 Feb 2026Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva says his country does not want a “new Cold War”, ahead of his visit to the United States.“I want to tell the US President Donald Trump that we don’t want a new Cold War. We don’t want interference in any other country; we want all countries to be treated equally,” Lula told a news conference at the end of his three-day trip to India on Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4India signs critical minerals deal with Brazil to curb dependance on Chinalist 2 of 4Facing a mercurial Trump, countries scramble to forge new allianceslist 3 of 4Six people killed, 46 injured in Brazil highway bus crashlist 4 of 4Brazil’s Lula says Maduro should face trial in Venezuela, not USend of listThe Brazilian president has refused to comment on Friday’s US Supreme Court decision, which struck down many of Trump’s tariffs on goods entering the US. In response to the Supreme Court decision, Trump said that 15 percent levies would replace it under a different law.Still, Lula said he is “convinced that Brazil-US relations will go back to normalcy after our conversation”, adding that Brazil has only wanted to “live in peace, generate jobs, and improve [the] lives of our people”.“The world doesn’t need more turbulence; it needs peace,” he added.Lula said he expects to meet Trump during the first week of March, and his agenda will include trade, immigration, and investment.While Lula has differed with Trump on issues such as tariffs, Israel’s war on Gaza, the US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, and Trump’s Board of Peace – a group of nations assembled to plan Gaza’s future – US and Brazil ties appear to be mending.In November, for instance, Trump’s administration exempted key Brazilian exports from the 40 percent tariffs that had been imposed on the country.Brazil-IndiaOn Saturday, Lula met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the Brazilian leader arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday to attend a summit on AI.The two leaders agreed to boost cooperation on critical minerals and rare earths, looking to diversify their trade.Lula and Modi agreed on a non-binding memorandum of understanding on rare earths, which establishes a framework for cooperation, focusing on reciprocal investment, exploration, mining and other issues.They also agreed on legal frameworks and other topics, including entrepreneurship, health, scientific research and education.