Brazil’s Lula slams ‘interference’ in previously colonised countries, without naming Trump

Brazil's Lula condemns renewed colonialism and U.S. interference in developing nations at a summit in Colombia.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticised what he called the return of a colonial approach toward developing nations during a summit in Colombia on Saturday (March 21, 2026), pointing to the disposal of ex-Venezuelan leaderc and the fuel blockade of Cuba.

“It’s not possible for someone to think that they own other countries,” Mr. Lula said, in an apparent reference to U.S. policy in the region, at a high-level forum with delegates from Africa and a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. “What are they doing with Cuba now? What did they do with Venezuela? Is that democratic?”

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The left-wing president also criticized the war launched by the U.S. and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28 and drew a parallel with thec. “Iran has been invaded under the pretext that Iran was building a nuclear bomb. Where are Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons? Where are they? Who found them?”

Mr. Lula said that all countries present had already experienced being plundered for gold, silver, diamonds and minerals. He accused an unspecified “they” of seeking to own developing countries’ critical minerals and rare earth deposits.

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