Trump attacks and BRICS reacts with sovereign voice

In response to attacks against the Supreme Court, Lula says that the people are the sole owner of Brazil and responds to the Western pressures with firm speech

The BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro became a stage of geopolitical confrontation on Monday (7), when Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Cyril Ramaphosa crashed a diplomatic duel against the onslaught of US representative Donald Trump. The crisis broke out at dawn, when Trump used his social network social network to attack the Brazilian judiciary by defending Jair Bolsonaro and then threatening the entire emerging bloc with punitive tariffs of 10% for alleged “anti-American policies.”

Under the fine rain that covered the Convention Center, Lula reacted first. In an official statement of sharp tone, the Brazilian president fired: “We are a sovereign country. We do not accept interference or guardianship of anyone. We have solid institutions. No one is above the law – especially those who pay against democracy.”. The answer was directly to Trump’s post, which had classified investigations into January 8 as “witch hunt” and begged the former president to be “left at peace.”

Hours later, during a press conference, Lula avoided appointing the American colleague, but his message echoed in the corridors of Pavilion 5: “I will not spend saliva with Trump and Bolsonaro. We have priorities like the fight against hunger”. When pressed by foreign journalists, it hardened the tone: “This country has a owner: it’s called a Brazilian people. I suggest taking care of their lives, not ours”.

The South African counterattack

While Lula’s words still resonated, Cyril Ramaphosa climbed the podium with sparkled eyes. The South African Rand had plummeted 3.2% after Trump’s trade threats, and the president did not disguise irritation: “It is disappointing that they want to punish BRICS for building alternatives”he fired, before nailing the phrase that would dominate the global headlines: “It cannot be that force prevails over law. Retaliations against those seeking autonomy are unacceptable”.

His speech echoed the bloc’s final statement – a 12 -page document that condemned “unilateral tariffs” and air attacks against Iran without nominally quoting US or Israel. “The emergence of multiple power centers must be celebrated, not criminalized”Ramaphosa insisted as advisers whispered on G20 emergency meetings.

Geopolitical chess

Behind the scenes, Itamaraty analysts deciphered the plays. Trump’s threats coincided with BRICS advances in the use of local transactions, an initiative that threatened the hegemony of the dollar. Already his defense of Bolsonaro attended the pressures of allies such as Eduardo Bolsonaro, who in recent months sought support at the US Congress for sanctions against STF ministers.

Bolsonaro himself reacted on the networks: “Trump is a lighthouse in the authoritarian darkness”posted the former president, who faces processes that add up to 30 years in prison. At the state level, the governor of São Paulo Tarcísio de Freitas endorsed: “Voting is the only legitimate judge”.

The Strategy of Silence

While Ramaphosa assumed the role of counterattack spokesman, Lula adopted a distinct posture. During the final sessions of the summit, it focused on debates on the New Bank for Development and Cooperation in Artificial Intelligence. “We have priority themes”He repeated to journalists, although nearby sources revealed that he monitored each movement of Trump on side screens.

The division of tasks revealed precise calculation: Ramaphosa as a political scorer, Lula as architect of the multipolar unit. “We will not retreat a millimeter in the defense of sovereignty”summarized the Brazilian at the closing, before dropping the definitive phrase: “Here the Brazilian people send..

Business threats found echo in emerging markets. In addition to the South African Rand, the Shanghai and Bombaim bags registered falls, while the Russian Central Bank announced “preventive measures.” For the Nobel Economics Joseph Stiglitz, present in Rio as an observer, “Trump underestimates the weight of the bloc: 49% of the world’s population and 39% of global GDP will not bend to Ultimatos”.

With information from Reuters and Financial Times*