Brazil’s Lula says he will discuss Trump tariffs with Brics group

BRASILIA - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva presented himself as a torchbearer for multilateralism in a fractured world in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, revealing plans to call the leaders of India and China to discuss a joint Brics response to tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

"What President Trump is doing is tacit - he wants to dismantle multilateralism, where agreements are made collectively within institutions, and replace it with unilateralism, where he negotiates one-on-one with other countries," Lula said.

"What bargaining power does a small Latin American country have against the United States? None."

Lula said he will initiate a conversation at the Brics group of developing nations about how to tackle Trump's tariffs. He said he planned to call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, and China's Xi Jinping and other leaders after. The group also has Russia and other emerging economies among its members. 

"I'm going to try to discuss with them about how each one is doing in this situation, what the implications are for each country, so we can make a decision," he said. "It's important to remember that the Brics have 10 countries at the G20," he added, referring to the group that gathers 20 of the world's biggest economies. 

Lula stressed that Brazil now holds the presidency of the Brics and said that he wants to discuss with allies why Trump is attacking multilateralism and what his goals may be.

Trump called the Brics "anti-American" and threatened the bloc's nations with additional 10 per cent tariffs last month, while the group gathered in a summit in Rio de Janeiro. REUTERS