Overview

• Lula departs for New York to open the UN debate on Sept. 23 with a speech expected to defend Brazil’s independence, criticize recent U.S. trade measures and avoid naming President Trump directly.
• Relations have soured after Washington raised tariffs on Brazilian goods to as much as 50%, revoked visas for Brazilian officials and applied Magnitsky-style measures tied to the Bolsonaro case, with U.S. officials hinting at further sanctions.
• Brazil, Spain, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay will host a democracy meeting on Sept. 24 that excludes the United States, a shift from 2024 that organizers link to current U.S. behavior toward Brazilian institutions.
• Lula will promote COP30 in Belém and seek financing for tropical forests, with events in New York that include a climate session alongside UN chief António Guterres and the presentation of the Tropical Forests Forever Fund.
• The address is set to call for cease-fires in Gaza and Ukraine and back a two-state solution, as Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky requests a bilateral with Lula (not yet confirmed) and confirms a separate meeting with Trump.