US President Joe Biden on Monday released joint a statement with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following the storming of Brazil’s congress, supreme court and presidential palace by supporters of former leader Jair Bolsonaro. President Biden added he has invited President Lula to visit the White House, and the trip is expected to take place next month.
The statement said that both leaders spoke on the phone and President Biden expressed his ”unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy”.
It stated that Mr Biden “condemned the violence and attack on democratic indications and on the peaceful transfer of power”.
The announcement also said that the two leaders had “pledged” to work “closely together” on issues of climate change, economic development and peace and security.
President Biden used the talk to invite President Lula to Washington in early February in order to have an “in-depth consultation on a wide-ranging shared agenda”.
Following the call, President Lula took to Twitter and thanked President Biden for his “concern and solidarity and his willingness to maintain a permanent dialogue between our countries to strengthen democracy”.
On Sunday, thousands of supporters of the former leader of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, attacked Brazil’s most important goverment buildings in Brasilia.
Brazillian authorities have said they have arrested over 1,500 people in regard to the incident.
President Lula was not in the city at the time of the attack but promised that those who took part in the riots will be punished and described the participants as “vandals, neo-fascists and fanatics”.
The scenes in Brazil over the weekend have been compared to 2021’s Capitol Riots in the USA, in which supporters of Donald Trump stormed Congress after the former president refused to concede defeat in the previous presidential election.
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US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter: “Nearly 2 years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil.”
“She added: The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida.”
Another Democrat, Joaquin Castro, described Mr Bolsonaro as a “dangrous man” and said he should be sent back to Brazil.
Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor, said that the Biden administration has not received any request from Brazil’s government to extradite
He said: “If we did receive such requests, we treat them the way we always do — we treat them seriously.”
