Thursday, July 30th 2026 - 01:40 UTC
Lula said Brazil likes peace but cannot forget that Paraguay one day decided to invade Brazil, adding that it later did the same to Argentina and Uruguay
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva invoked the War of the Triple Alliance (1864-1870) to defend increased defense spending, in remarks that drew formal rejection this week from both chambers of Paraguay's Congress.
During a visit on Friday to a plant belonging to the defense company Avibras Aeroespacial, Lula said Brazil likes peace but cannot forget that Paraguay one day decided to invade Brazil, adding that it later did the same to Argentina and Uruguay. Press accounts differ on the order in which he named the three countries.
Paraguay's Senate approved a declaration on Wednesday, in an extraordinary session, to strongly condemn the remarks. The text, proposed by opposition senator Eduardo Nakayama, argues that the comments distort and unilaterally simplify the origins of the conflict and cast Paraguay as the sole aggressor, omitting the Brazilian Empire's intervention in Uruguay. Senators urged Brazilian authorities to adopt a respectful, balanced and truthful treatment of the two countries' shared history, and stressed that Paraguay poses no threat to Brazil's sovereignty or territorial integrity.
