Lula Says He Will Address UN, Urge Trump Not to Interfere in Brazil’s Elections

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that he plans to use next week’s United Nations General Assembly to send a message to US President Donald Trump against interference in Brazil’s presidential election.

Lula is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday. While the two leaders are expected to attend the gathering, Brazilian officials said no specific bilateral meeting between Lula and Trump has been scheduled, although they are likely to cross paths during the Assembly.

“I’m going to the UN meeting to have a conversation with Trump and tell him: don’t meddle in the elections in Brazil,” Lula said during a campaign stop in Ceilandia, a working-class area of Brasilia.

Brazilian Foreign Ministry official Carlos Bicalho Cozendey said there was currently “no specific bilateral meeting” planned between the two presidents. However, he said they would probably cross paths at the UN General Assembly, as they did last year.

The comments come amid heightened tensions between Brasilia and Washington over trade and Brazil’s upcoming presidential election. The United States imposed new tariffs on Brazilian products in July, measures that Lula has criticised as economic pressure linked to the political situation in Brazil.

The dispute has also brought the relationship between Trump and Lula under greater scrutiny. Washington’s tensions with Brasilia escalated in 2025, when the Trump administration introduced its first round of tariffs on Brazilian goods.

The measures came as former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a political ally of Trump and the father of presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro, faced proceedings over allegations related to an attempted coup. Bolsonaro was later convicted over the case.

Lula has repeatedly argued that Brazil’s elections should be determined by Brazilian voters without outside interference. His planned UN address is expected to emphasise the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.