It was a great meeting. I am very grateful to the President for his time. The United States and Brazil are doing very important things together; we work bilaterally, regionally and globally. It is a very important partnership and we are grateful for the friendship.
Antony Blinken after meeting Lula
Opposite sides of the conflict
The United States vetoed a ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas for the third time at the United Nations. The country is Israel's main international supporter, including through the provision of military resources. Brazil has defended this measure in the Security Council since the beginning of the war.
The country also criticized Lula's speech yesterday (20), which linked the Israeli attacks to the Holocaust. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said his government “obviously” disagreed with the statement.
The USA was the only country to use veto power among UN Security Council members to block the proposed ceasefire in Gaza. Although it consists of 15 countries, the North American position is enough to veto the resolution, presented this time by Algeria.
The Americans had already vetoed a Brazilian proposal in October, which provoked public criticism from the government. “Our concern during this time has always been humanitarian and ultimately each country will have had its own inspiration,” said Chancellor Mauro Vieira after the decision.