Top US diplomat Antony Blinken met with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday. Brazil’s leader was in the midst of a diplomatic spat with Israel over comments made by Lula comparing the country’s war in Gaza to the Nazi genocide of World War II.
Lula met with reporters at the presidential palace in Brasilia, and in brief remarks to reporters said that the US presidential election is coming up in November.
Secretary of State Blinken responded that U.S. politics is “very polarized” and that the election will be contested in six or seven battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada.
US Secretary of State supports Western Balkan countries towards European Union integration
“There are fewer and fewer undecided voters,” Blinken said. “There’s a fight going on over a very small segment of the electorate.”
In a statement after the meeting, which lasted about two hours, the Brazilian president’s office said Lula and Blinken discussed a number of topics, from the G20 summit to peace efforts in Gaza and Ukraine.
“President Lula reaffirmed his desire for peace and an end to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip,” the Brazilian government said in a statement. “Both sides agreed on the necessity of establishing a Palestinian state.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on February 21, 2024. (Reuters/Adriano Machado)
U.S. officials have previously said Lula and Blinken will have a robust dialogue on global security issues, including the conflict in Gaza, which began with an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel. He said he was looking forward to it.
Israel said on Monday that Lula was not welcome in Israel until he retracted his comments.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday that Washington disagrees with Lula’s comments but declined to preview what Blinken would say at a meeting on the issue.
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Lula’s comments came after his visit to the Middle East last week, just before a meeting of foreign ministers in Rio de Janeiro as part of Brazil’s chairmanship of the Group of 20 industrialized nations.
The US government, which provides military and diplomatic support to Israel, has called on Israel to protect civilians but has defended Israel’s right to target Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Ahead of Blinken’s trip to South America, Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, told reporters that sharing thoughts on the Gaza conflict would be “crucial to the dialogue” between Lula and Blinken.
Secretary of State Blinken meets with new Brazil president after incendiary Gaza comments
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken met with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday. Brazil’s leader was in the midst of a diplomatic spat with Israel over comments made by Lula comparing the country’s war in Gaza to the Nazi genocide of World War II.
Lula met with reporters at the presidential palace in Brasilia, and in brief remarks to reporters said that the US presidential election is coming up in November.
Secretary of State Blinken responded that U.S. politics is “very polarized” and that the election will be contested in six or seven battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Nevada.
US Secretary of State supports Western Balkan countries towards European Union integration
“There are fewer and fewer undecided voters,” Blinken said. “There’s a fight going on over a very small segment of the electorate.”
In a statement after the meeting, which lasted about two hours, the Brazilian president’s office said Lula and Blinken discussed a number of topics, from the G20 summit to peace efforts in Gaza and Ukraine.
“President Lula reaffirmed his desire for peace and an end to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip,” the Brazilian government said in a statement. “Both sides agreed on the necessity of establishing a Palestinian state.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on February 21, 2024. (Reuters/Adriano Machado)
U.S. officials have previously said Lula and Blinken will have a robust dialogue on global security issues, including the conflict in Gaza, which began with an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel. He said he was looking forward to it.
Israel said on Monday that Lula was not welcome in Israel until he retracted his comments.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday that Washington disagrees with Lula’s comments but declined to preview what Blinken would say at a meeting on the issue.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Lula’s comments came after his visit to the Middle East last week, just before a meeting of foreign ministers in Rio de Janeiro as part of Brazil’s chairmanship of the Group of 20 industrialized nations.
The US government, which provides military and diplomatic support to Israel, has called on Israel to protect civilians but has defended Israel’s right to target Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
Ahead of Blinken’s trip to South America, Brian Nichols, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, told reporters that sharing thoughts on the Gaza conflict would be “crucial to the dialogue” between Lula and Blinken.
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