BRAZILIAN President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva blasted United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “an enemy of Latin America” on Tuesday.

This came after the US renewed its threats to slap heavy tariffs on Brazil.

President Lula also accused allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro of supporting foreign interference in Brazil by backing US measures against the country.

Speaking at a public event in the state of Goias, President Lula said he had conveyed his objections to US policies directly to President Donald Trump during a three-hour meeting.

The Brazilian president said he considers Mr Rubio’s policies contrary to the interests of Latin America and stated that he had informed President Trump that Mr Rubio would not have a favourable stance toward Brazil. 

President Lula also pointed out that Mr Rubio did not participate in the meeting held between the two heads of state in early May, on US soil.

The remarks came after Mr Rubio’s statements before the US Senate, where he excluded Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba from a list of hemispheric allies. 

Mr Rubio also supported a proposal by the Office of the US Trade Representative to impose additional tariffs of 25 per cent on Brazilian exports.

President Lula accused the US of using security allegations and terrorist designations against criminal groups to expand its economic and military influence in Latin America.

“As I do not have ships to wage Trump’s wars, nuclear bombs or military power, my war is that of truth against lies, against narratives,” he said.

The Brazilian president also slammed Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro for publicly supporting US measures against Brazil, calling their actions a betrayal of national interests.

He said: “They are traitors to the homeland. They went and asked a foreign country to interfere in Brazilian decisions.”