Lula mocks Macron, Meloni amid EU-Mercosur trade deal suspense as protests paralyse France| Brazil

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned that the long delayed EU Mercosur trade agreement will be effectively dead if the European Union postpones its signing again. Speaking at a ministerial meeting in Brasilia, Lula said the deal must be signed during the Mercosur summit this weekend, arguing Brazil has already made all possible diplomatic concessions. He framed the agreement as a defence of multilateralism at a time of rising unilateralism, and criticised opposition from France and Italy. Negotiated for more than two decades, the pact would expand trade between Europe and South America, covering sectors from vehicles and machinery to agricultural exports.