Blinken 'strongly' disagrees with Lula when he talks about Israel, but says the two are 'united' behind Gaza ceasefire | Rio de Janeiro

Blinken said he thought about what they said, especially regarding their shared agendas. He stated that he was a friend of Lula's, but he expressed his disagreement with the Brazilian's statements that there was genocide in Gaza and that they compared the killing of Palestinians in Israeli attacks to the Holocaust and the extermination of the Jews carried out by the Germans. Nazi regime.

“We obviously disagree strongly on comparing Gaza to the Holocaust. But that's something friends do. We can have disagreements on one side of an issue and continue the vital work we do together,” Blinken said.

“We are united in achieving common goals: taking hostages, achieving an extended humanitarian ceasefire, providing more humanitarian assistance, and ending the conflict.”

Blinken stated that Brazil and the United States are “leaders” in the fight against climate change and that “caring for the Amazon today is caring for the planet”: “Caring for the planet today is caring for our survival.” I think no one can define this situation better.

“The United States stands shoulder to shoulder with Brazil to support these efforts to preserve the Amazon forests and reduce deforestation. We are investing resources in this matter,” Blinken said, recalling that Brazil will host the thirtieth session of the Conference of the Parties in 2025.

On an official trip to Ethiopia, Lula criticized Israeli military action and compared the Israeli attacks to the Holocaust committed by the Nazi regime against the Jews. Lula's speech angered the Israeli government, which demanded an apology from the president.

After the meeting, the US Embassy issued a report on the main points of the conversation. This memo does not cite Blinken's statements regarding Lula's speeches.

“The Secretary discussed the United States’ commitment to the conflict in Gaza, including urgent work with partners to facilitate the release of all hostages, increase humanitarian assistance, and improve the protection of Palestinian civilians,” the embassy’s briefing said.

This was the only reference, according to the US government, to the conflict in Gaza.

According to the US government, Blinken praised Lula for Brazil's position in the crisis between Venezuela and Guyana.

At the end of last year, the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held a referendum to listen to residents about annexing Guyana's Essequibo region. The region is rich in mineral resources. Venezuela's behavior led to tension between the two countries located on the northern border of Brazil.

Lula's government sought to mediate the conflict and avoid escalating hostilities.

In the referendum, the Venezuelan people approved the inclusion of Essequibo as a territory of the country, but the territory still belongs to Guyana.

“Secretary Blinken praised President Lula for Brazil’s role in calming tensions between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region,” the embassy said.

The memorandum also refers to the elections scheduled to be held in Venezuela this year, and states that the Maduro regime was committed to holding democratic and transparent elections, which did not happen in the recent electoral disputes in Venezuela, according to international bodies.

“The Minister reinforced our position that Nicolas Maduro must return to implementing the Barbados Electoral Roadmap Agreement to ensure competitive presidential elections in 2024,” he added.

After Brasilia, Blinken went to Rio de Janeiro, where the foreign ministers of the G20 countries are meeting this week. Brazil hosts the G20 summit in November. On this South American tour, Blinken will also meet with President Javier Miley in Argentina.