President Jair Bolsonaro said this Thursday (9) that Brazil’s sovereignty is “sometimes” threatened by the Amazon, during a meeting with US President Joe Biden.

“Sometimes we feel a threat to our sovereignty in this area,” Bolsonaro said during a bilateral meeting of the two presidents at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles.

Bolsonaro held his first meeting with the American president – Photo: reproduction / TV Brasil / ND

“Brazil is defending its territory very well,” insisted Bolsonaro, whose government is under pressure from the international community to take stronger measures to protect the Amazon region.

The remarks came before the two presidents met behind closed doors in the Los Angeles Convention Center, where part of the hemispheric agenda is being held.

Biden said Brazil has made “real sacrifices” to protect the Amazon rainforest. “I believe the rest of the world should help Brazil save as much as possible,” he added.

Bolsonaro also referred to Brazil’s October elections, with polls pointing to former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as the favorite.

“We want clean, verifiable elections,” said Bolsonaro, an ally of former President Donald Trump who has always questioned the election results that democratically brought Biden to the White House in 2020,” he added.