Brazil at the UN: Lula Confronts U.S. Pressure in Defiant Speech

New York, September 23, 2025 – President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva used his address at the United Nations General Assembly to mount a vigorous defense of Brazil’s democracy and sovereignty, while delivering a thinly veiled rebuke of the United States. His speech was both a rallying cry for institutional independence and a warning against the perils of unilateral power in an increasingly fragile global order.

President Lula declared that Brazil’s judiciary and democratic institutions must remain free from external coercion, casting recent sanctions, tariffs, and visa restrictions imposed by Washington as an affront to the rule of law. Without naming the United States directly, he condemned what he called arbitrary measures designed to intimidate judges and destabilize the Brazilian system. His remarks echoed with defiance, portraying Brazil as unwilling to bend to outside pressure, even from its most powerful partners.

The president highlighted the conviction of former leader Jair Bolsonaro for orchestrating a coup attempt, framing the ruling as proof that Brazil’s institutions are capable of upholding justice and resisting authoritarian threats. He argued that attempts to undermine those institutions from abroad not only disrespected Brazil’s sovereignty but also threatened the very fabric of democracy.

The timing of President Lula’s remarks was significant. Speaking before world leaders at the UN, he positioned Brazil as a defender of multilateralism at a moment when the balance between cooperation and coercion is under strain. His speech underscored a growing divide between emerging powers seeking respect for sovereignty and established powers inclined to use economic or diplomatic tools to shape outcomes.

For Brazil, the stakes are both global and domestic. Confronting Washington on the world stage may embolden Lula at home, where public opinion is sensitive to questions of foreign interference. Yet the move risks escalating tensions that could reverberate through trade negotiations, climate cooperation, and investment ties.

Still, President Lula’s message was clear: Brazil will not allow its democracy to be dictated from abroad. By asserting the strength of its institutions and rejecting external pressure, he sought to reframe Brazil not as a subject of great-power politics, but as a sovereign actor shaping the rules of engagement in a multipolar world.

And with the world now turning its attention to COP30 in Belém, where Brazil will host the defining climate summit of this decade, President Lula’s stand carries even greater weight. Global leadership will be tested not only by how nations defend their own democracies, but by how they work together to confront the shared crises of our time. In calling for sovereignty, Lula is also laying down a challenge: that the road to Belém must be marked by courage, cooperation, and a renewed commitment to leadership on behalf of all humanity.