Chancellor Friedrich Merz's spokesperson denied Wednesday that the German leader meant to denigrate Brazil after visiting the city hosting the U.N. climate summit, defending his stance toward the country following remarks that drew sharp criticism from officials there.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Belem's mayor, the governor of Para state and several lawmakers pushed back against comments Merz made last week following a Nov. 7 visit to Belem. Merz appeared to be trying to put into perspective complaints about the current situation in prosperous Germany, whose economy is struggling to generate growth, in a speech to a trade conference in Berlin.
