Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva decried the use of tariffs as a tool of “blackmail” while China’s Xi Jinping said trade wars were disrupting the global economy during a BRICS summit that took place against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s targeting of the bloc’s members.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday that more trade and financial integration among the BRICS group of developing nations would help mitigate the effects of protectionism. "Tariff blackmail is being normalized as a tool for conquering markets and interfering in domestic issues,

Lula denounced what he called "tariff blackmail" as the South American giant deals with a 50 percent import charge imposed by US counterpart Donald Trump.

Without mentioning Trump or the US by name, Lula told a virtual BRICS summit on Monday: “Our countries became victims of trade practices that are unjustified and illegal. “The tariff blackmail has been normalised as a tool to conquer markets and to interfere in our domestic issues.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva has denounced U.S. tariffs as 'tariff blackmail' during a BRICS meeting, responding to a 50% import duty imposed by the U.S. He criticized the presence of U.S. forces in the Caribbean and highlighted Brazil's plan to retaliate and seek WTO intervention.