In a meeting, Lula says that critical minerals will give the country financial sovereignty

“We need to make a decision about what the government will do with this strategic material, which can give Brazil not only mineral sovereignty, but also financial, technological and knowledge sovereignty in an area in which we already know what to do”, he declared.

Lula's speech, released by the Social Communication Secretariat of the Presidency of the Republic (Secom), was marked by messages to the President of the United States, Donald Trump. The PT member stated that the Republican would be “envious” of Chinese knowledge about critical minerals and said that he will also need to worry about Brazil.

“If Trump is worried about China, he may start to be worried about Brazil, because we will be able to do the same things, or even more qualified things, than the Chinese do,” he said.

Lula also stated that he imagined Brazil to be “illiterate” in relation to critical minerals, but that the meeting made clear the country's potential to develop technologies with greater added value.

When criticizing the business community, the president said that the Brazilian elite is “very Americanized”, although the country depends on other nations in strategic sectors.

"The elite is very Americanized, but agriculture depends on Russian fertilizer, and the buyer depends on the Chinese people. So, we buy fertilizer from Russia. The United States doesn't buy iron ore either, it's China," he said.

The president also defended the government's participation in the development of the sector. According to him, great technological advances, such as those related to oil in the last century, relied on State action.

In this context, Lula demanded greater participation from Petrobras and stated that the company should act as a financier of Brazilian innovation.

Lula brings together ministers and representatives of the critical minerals sector to discuss action plan

Government prepares plan to expand investments and reduce external dependence on critical minerals, pending approval of the legal framework in the Senate. Proposal provides for a guarantee fund, incentives for innovation and control over strategic operations