Brazil’s Lula seeking to ‘neutralize’ Rubio – CNN

The US secretary of state previously excluded Brazil from the list of friendly countries and hinted that he would welcome a change in leadership Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is trying to “neutralize” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio by establishing a direct channel with President Donald Trump, CNN Brasil reported on Monday, citing sources.Rubio previously excluded Brazil from the group of countries he described as friendly and attacked Lula over trade. The Brazilian president accused him of being “anti-Latin America.”Tensions between the US and Latin America’s largest economy have been soaring for months, as Trump fiercely backed former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro during his trial over a plot to overturn his 2022 election defeat and keep himself in power. In September 2025, Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison. Trump described the prosecution of the former leader as a “witch hunt.”The two countries are also locked in a trade dispute. The US imposed an additional 25% tariff on certain Brazilian goods in July after a trade investigation accused Brazil of a litany of unreasonable practices.According to CNN, Lula complained for weeks about R...