Which Lula is it this week? In Lisbon, Brazil’s president charmed his hosts in a speech before the Portuguese parliament to mark nearly half a century since the Carnation Revolution that ended the dictatorship there. Lula had raised eyebrows with his recent visit to China, where he accused the US of "encouraging" the war in Ukraine, and then with last week's warm welcome for Russia's foreign minister.
We ask about Brazil's Ukraine stance, and about Lula's claim that Brazil is back after four years of the far right’s Jair Bolsonaro. Portugal, the former colonial power, is happy to welcome the return of a leader who was at the helm during Brazil's boom years of the early 200s, but the world has changed.
Beyond inflamed superpower tensions, just look at the weather in Lisbon: the current April heatwave follows record winter drought in the Iberian Peninsula. With the planet overheating, the EU wants guarantees on protecting the Amazon rainforest before finalising a trade pact with Brazil. Will Lula ultimately side with environmentalists or the agriculture industry?
The world has changed, and so has the 77-year-old Brazilian president. On the day that Joe Biden launched his re-election bid aged 80, one wonders whether political veterans can roll with those changing times.
Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Imen Mellaz and Aline Bottin.
