Lula and Blinken meet after Gaza comments spark diplomatic discord

US top diplomat Antony Blinken met President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday amid a diplomatic spat after the Brazilian leader likened Israel's war in Gaza to the Nazi genocide during World War Two.

In brief remarks in front of reporters as they met at Brasilia's presidential palace, Lula remarked that US presidential elections are coming up in November.

Blinken responded that politics in the United States were "so polarized," and the election would come down to six or seven battleground states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada.

"There are fewer and fewer undecided voters," Blinken said. "There's a battle for a fragile segment of the electorate."

US officials have said they expected Lula and Secretary of State Blinken to have a robust conversation on issues of global security, including the conflict in Gaza sparked by attacks in southern Israel by Hamas militants on October 7.

Israel said on Monday that Lula would be welcome in Israel once he returned the comments.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday that Washington disagreed with Lula's comments but declined to preview what Blinken would say in the meeting.

Lula's comments came after he visited the Middle East last week and just ahead of a meeting of foreign ministers in Rio de Janeiro as part of Brazil's presidency of the G20 group of advanced economies.

Washington, which provides Israel with military and diplomatic support, has urged Israel to protect civilians but defended Israel's right to target Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Before Blinken's travel to South America, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols told reporters that sharing ideas on the conflict in Gaza would be "crucial to the conversation" between Lula and Blinken.

The two would also discuss efforts to promote democracy in Venezuela, a US-Brazil partnership on workers' rights, and cooperation on transitioning to clean energy, Nichols said.

Reuters