Brazil’s Lula Advocates for Stronger Trade Ties for BRICS Amid Tariffs Impact

BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday that more trade and financial integration among the BRICS group of developing nations would help mitigate the effects of protectionism. ‘Tariff blackmail is being normalized as a tool for conquering markets and interfering in domestic issues,’ Lula said in the government’s published remarks of a Monday virtual meeting of BRICS leaders, without directly citing the United States. BRICS countries have become ‘victims of unjustified and illegal trade practices,’ Lula said.