Lula and Sheinbaum, from Mexico, reject US offensive in the Caribbean and the Pacific

Amid the imperialist escalation of the United States in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated, this Friday (24), that he disagrees with attacks on other countries under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, defended the sovereignty of nations and signaled that he can address the issue in the meeting he is scheduled to have with Donald Trump on Sunday (26).

“It is much better for the United States to be willing to talk to the police of other countries, with the Ministry of Justice of other countries, so that we can do something together,” declared Lula, during a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.

He went on to say that “if fashion catches on and each one thinks they can invade the other’s territory to do what they want, where will the word respectability of countries’ sovereignty come up? I need to discuss these issues with President Trump, if he puts it on the table.”

Also read: US expands military offensive in Latin America

Lula was in Indonesia between the 22nd and 24th. The main objective of the trip was to strengthen strategic partnerships with the country and expand Brazil’s presence in Southeast Asia. From there, Lula went to Malaysia, where he will participate in a meeting with Asian leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), an event that opened up the possibility of a meeting between the two heads of state, to discuss tariffs and other issues involving relations between the countries.

Respect for sovereignty

Another official demonstration, which took place on Thursday (23), made clear the Latin American governments’ rejection of the recent US imperialist incursions.

During a press conference, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, condemned the attacks led by the White House, which destroyed vessels allegedly linked to drug trafficking in international waters. The attacks also include the Pacific Ocean, which borders part of your country.

The president’s speech took place this Thursday (23), during a press conference. “Obviously, we disagree. There are international laws that govern how to deal with the alleged illegal transport of drugs or weapons in international waters and we have already expressed this to the United States government”, he declared.

Sheinbaum also stressed that sovereignty and international law must be respected, making reference to the constitutional reform approved in Mexico to strengthen sovereignty and self-determination in the face of any act of external intervention.

Furthermore, he considered that his foreign policy strategy prioritizes “frank dialogue” with the US government in search of agreed solutions between both parties, but emphasized that this will never happen by “renouncing our sovereignty and self-determination”.

10th attack

This Friday (24), the Trump administration said it had carried out the tenth attack on a vessel in Latin America, since the US decided to intervene in the region — especially against Venezuela —, under the excuse that it was fighting drug trafficking.

The most recent attack occurred, according to US Secretary of War, Pete Hegeseth, in the early hours of Friday (24) in the Caribbean Sea.

This week, operations were expanded to the Pacific Ocean region near the north coast of Colombia — the first occurred on Wednesday (22) and killed at least two people.

In total, so far, there have been two attacks in the Pacific, and another eight in the Caribbean Sea, such as the offensive announced this Friday.