Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated Wednesday (Jun. 3) that Brazil will continue to seek new business partners to minimize the impacts of the trade policy adopted by the US. Lula chaired a ministerial meeting amid the announcement of new US tariffs on Brazilian products.

“We will seek out other partners. If they don’t want to buy, we’ll sell to whoever does. We won’t just sit around complaining. If they don’t want to invest here, we’ll look for someone else. Brazil is its own master. This is a democratic and sovereign country,” he told his cabinet ministers.

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On Monday (1), the US Trade Representative (USTR) proposed, among other measures, a 25 percent tariff on certain Brazilian goods imported by the US. The USTR report is the result of an investigation launched a year ago by President Trump’s administration into Brazil’s alleged “unfair trade practices” with the US.

Among other issues, to justify the measure, the agency accuses Brazil’s instant payment system Pix of “unfairly” harming US companies that provide electronic payment services – such as credit card operators MasterCard and Visa and WhatsApp Pay.

G7 summit

President Lula stated he will attend the G7 summit in June in France, which had not been part of his plans originally. The event brings together the leaders of Germany, Canada, the US, France, Italy, Japan, and the UK. Brazil will attend as a guest of the host, French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I wasn’t even going to the G7, but now I am. Someone needs to try to bring order to the house and stop this dismantling of multilateralism, democracy, and the devaluation of institutions. If the UN isn’t working today, we’re not going to fix the world by destroying the UN; we’re going to fix it by rebuilding the UN,” said Lula, reaffirming his support for strengthening the United Nations and reforming its Security Council.
 

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva argued that promoting culture should be a state policy. “If it’s just a government policy, anyone who comes in can take it away. Because taking things away is very easy; fixing things is what’s difficult,” the president said on Saturday (May 30) in Rio de Janeiro during the launch of the Tela Brasil platform, a free public streaming service for Brazilian audiovisual content.

“Culture educates, it opens minds, broadens horizons, and helps us see a little further - things that were previously invisible to us,” he said.

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Lula highlighted that Brazil has reached the milestone of 16,000 Culture Points, projects funded by the Ministry of Culture and implemented by public and non-governmental organizations.

Cooperation

Marking Africa Day, celebrated on May 25, President Lula also outlined recent academic exchanges between Brazilian federal universities and African countries.

In addition, he announced that in June he will inaugurate the new facilities of the Federal University of Latin American Integration (Unila) in Foz do Iguaçu, in southern Brazil.

Lula advocated agreements with Latin American countries and online courses to share knowledge.

The president concluded by inviting the community to participate in a structural transformation:

“Help this country carry out the revolution it never had. The cultural revolution so that this country can finally be in charge of its own destiny, its own history, and its own affairs.”

Brazil and Suriname will begin negotiations in the second half of the year to expand their trade agreement and stimulate new business opportunities.

This rapprochement was one of the main focuses of the bilateral meeting between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Surinamese President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons, which took place on Thursday (May 28) in Brasília. Elected last year and serving a term until 2030, she is the first woman to lead the neighboring country.

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“Our trade is still very small and concentrated in a few products. In 2025, it was only 55 million dollars - that is, almost nothing. The only trade agreement we have is extremely limited. With this visit, we managed to approve terms of reference to increase trade flows between Brazil and Suriname,” Lula stated in a joint press statement at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bilateral trade includes machinery, electrical equipment, chemical industry products, and commodities, and is composed almost entirely of Brazilian exports. According to Lula, the negotiations should expand trade facilitation measures and include new sectors.

The Surinamese delegation’s program in Brasília includes a business meeting bringing together Brazilian entities and companies and representatives of Suriname’s productive sector in the areas of energy, logistics, transport, agriculture, and communications.

Critical oil and minerals

In recent years, Suriname has discovered significant offshore oil reserves in the region known as the Guiana Basin in the Atlantic Ocean, which are expected to boost the country’s economy in the coming years.

In 2024, Petrobras and the Surinamese state-owned company Staatsolie signed agreements on cooperation in oil, renewable energy, and safety in hydrocarbon exploration activities. Lula also recalled that, like Brazil, Suriname stands out for its potential in critical minerals, which are essential for the manufacture of electronic components for high-tech equipment.

“We have the opportunity to cooperate in sustainable mining, local industrialization, and value-added production, contributing to overcoming historical models based solely on the export of raw materials,” said the Brazilian president.

Food security

Another important area of bilateral cooperation is agriculture and food production. “Brazil can contribute significantly to the food and nutritional security of the Surinamese people through the supply of beef, pork, poultry, and other food products,” Lula emphasized.

Technical and scientific cooperation between the two countries was also the focus of agreements and memoranda of understanding signed during the meeting.

Jennifer Geerlings-Simons’ agenda in Brasília will also include a visit this week to a unit of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) for an exchange on expertise in family farming, food security, and sustainable agroforestry systems.

“For Suriname, lowering food costs and ensuring food security remain critical, and we are certain that Brazil is a partner we can trust to help us with this,” stated Geerlings-Simons.

Social programs

The President of Suriname will also visit a unit of the Social Assistance Reference Center (CRAS), the entry point to Brazilian government social programs, and a housing project under the Minha Casa, Minha Vida (My House, My Life) program, which could serve as inspiration for a model that Geerlings-Simons intends to take to the neighboring country.

“I think we agreed that the main task of every politician is to ensure that people can achieve the highest level of well-being. Furthermore, we discussed regional development issues and reaffirmed our shared commitment to democracy and regional integration,” added the Surinamese leader.

Signed agreements

In total, Lula and Jennifer Geerlings-Simons signed 13 cooperation agreements in sectors such as cybersecurity, police cooperation, combating human trafficking, public health, integrated fire management, hydroelectric dam security, and coordinated military operations in the Amazon border region.

The governments of Brazil and Suriname also discussed measures to expand maritime and air connections between the two countries and advance the so-called “Guiana Ring,” an integration project connecting northern Brazil to Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, facilitating access to the Caribbean market and strengthening regional infrastructure.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that Brazil could be “much better off” if the people had not been influenced by lies told during the election period by politicians uncommitted to the poor.

The statement was made during the delivery ceremony of 576 affordable housing units in Manaus, Amazonas state. With an investment of BRL 92.1 million, the project is likely to benefit 2 thousand people.

According to Lula, people like those in the audience – who have benefited from the government’s affordable housing program – are often treated as “invisible” by most politicians.

Maturity and seriousness

The president asked voters to show “maturity and seriousness” in distinguishing truth from lies when deciding the future of Brazil, given the spread of false information using AI on social media.

“Brazil could already be doing much better as a country. If that’s not the case, it’s because every now and then we elect someone who has no commitment to anything. These are people who hold the office of president, but have never spoken to you, never seen you, and don’t care about the poor,” he said.

In the view of these people, he went on to argue, the poor only matter during election season.

“You should know that, when it comes to deciding the fate of this country, this city, this state, you have to act with great maturity and seriousness. We can’t keep believing the lies we’re fed 24 hours a day on our phones,” he argued.

“Now they’ve come up with something called artificial intelligence, which is great for health care, education, science, and technology. It’s great for so many things. But I don’t think it’s any good for elections, because artificial intelligence can spread a lot of lies through cell phones. So we’re going to have to be really responsible, because this country needs serious people,” he added.

Brazil will transport food within Bolivia from Santa Cruz de la Sierra to the capital, La Paz. The humanitarian aid comes amid protests demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.

The operation, whose date has yet to be determined, will be coordinated by Brazil’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agrarian Development in partnership with the Ministry of Defense, which will arrange for an aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).

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The plane is scheduled to depart from Brasília for La Paz with food supplies aimed at mitigating the effects of roadblocks that have lasted more than three weeks, causing shortages in the Bolivian capital.

After unloading the supplies, the aircraft will transport items provided by Bolivian authorities or other organizations from one city to the other.

Cooperation

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke on Monday (May 25) with Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, who requested humanitarian assistance.

In a press release, the Brazilian government stated that, during his phone call with Rodrigo Paz, Lula reiterated “his solidarity with the Bolivian government and people” and emphasized the importance of “respect for democratic institutions and the rule of law.”

“In this context, he urged the government and social movements to avoid resorting to violence and prioritize dialogue as the path to overcoming differences and preserving social peace,” the statement said.

Crisis

Bolivia is facing a series of protests and roadblocks that have, over the past few weeks, turned into a popular uprising involving peasants, indigenous people, miners, teachers, and other social groups.

Decisions by Bolivia’s new president, who took office just six months ago after nearly 20 years of left-wing dominance, have sparked demonstrations across the country since the start of his term in December 2025, including a decree that eliminated gasoline subsidies.

The protests intensified after peasants and indigenous people accused the government of enacting land laws intended to harm small farmers in favor of large agribusiness interests.

The Bolivian government claims the law was intended to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector, which is facing a severe economic crisis. Under public pressure, the law was repealed, but the protests have continued to grow.

The crackdown on the demonstrations has already resulted in deaths and injuries and the arrest of several leaders.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday (May 25) ordered the dispatch of humanitarian aid to Bolivia, which is facing a wave of protests. According to his press office, he responded to a request from Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz following a telephone conversation between the two leaders.

According to the statement, the two presidents discussed the humanitarian situation amid protests and roadblocks. The disruptions are causing shortages in some regions of the country.

Respect for institutions

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President Lula emphasized the importance of respecting democratic institutions and the rule of law.

“In this context, he argued that the government and social movements should avoid resorting to violence and prioritize dialogue to overcome differences and preserve social peace,” the statement read.

Crisis in Bolivia

The Andean country is facing a wave of protests and road blockades that, over the past few weeks, have evolved into a popular uprising involving peasants, indigenous communities, miners, teachers, and other social groups.

A series of decisions by Bolivia’s new president, who took office after nearly 20 years of left-wing dominance, has been sparking protests across the country since the start of his term in December 2025, beginning with a decree eliminating gasoline subsidies.

The protests escalated after the government enacted a land law that peasants and indigenous people say favors large agribusiness interests at the expense of small farmers. The government, however, argues that the measure was intended to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector amid a severe economic crisis.

Due to public pressure, Rodrigo Paz repealed the law last week. Even so, the protests continued and gained new supporters.

Most of the roadblocks are taking place around the capital, La Paz, causing shortages of food, fuel, and other supplies in the city’s markets.