The decision by the United States government to classify Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) as Foreign Terrorist Organizations This provoked a strong reaction behind the scenes at the Palácio do Planalto (Presidential Palace).Surprised by the announcement made by the U.S. State Department, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva began discussing with ministers and advisors a response strategy that combines international cooperation in combating organized crime and defending Brazilian sovereignty.
According to information from Valdo Cruz's blog, on the portal g1Government officials said that Lula did not receive the measure well and is even considering the possibility of speaking directly with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to discuss the issue.
According to aides close to the president, Trump may not have been directly involved in formulating the decision and that the initiative was driven by more conservative and ideological sectors of the US administration.
At the same time, the Brazilian government intends to seek cooperation mechanisms with Washington to confront transnational criminal organizations, avoiding any reaction that could be interpreted as resistance to the fight against organized crime.
Surprise and discomfort in the Planalto
The main concern of the Brazilian government is not limited to the content of the decision, but also to the way it was announced.
According to sources within the Presidential Palace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice were not previously informed about the measure. This lack of direct communication was interpreted as a negative diplomatic gesture and generated discomfort within the government.
Members of the presidential team argue that a decision with potential impact on bilateral relations should have been discussed or, at least, officially communicated before its public disclosure.
Behind the scenes, the interpretation is that the measure ended up gaining an additional political component because it was announced just days after Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ) visited the United States.
The congressman met this week with members of the US government and advocated for classifying Brazilian factions as terrorist organizations.
According to Lula's advisors, the sequence of events created the perception that the Trump administration may have responded to a request made by the senator and presidential candidate.
Fear of election interference
One of the government's concerns is to avoid the decision being interpreted as a sign of political support from the United States for Flávio Bolsonaro.
According to sources within the presidential palace, the way the announcement was conducted reinforced the assessment that Trump may play some role in the Brazilian electoral debate.
The Brazilian government argues that the United States should maintain a neutral stance during the electoral process.
Nevertheless, sources close to the president believe that a potential explicit rapprochement between Trump and Flávio Bolsonaro could also be exploited politically by the government.
The interpretation within sectors of the Brazilian presidential palace is that the image of the US president faces high rejection rates among significant segments of the Brazilian electorate, which could produce political effects different from those intended by his supporters.
Meetings and consultations mobilize the government.
Since the announcement of the measure, Lula has been personally following the discussions about the possible diplomatic, economic, and legal consequences of the US decision.
During the night of Thursday (28), the president held a series of conversations with members of the government's top leadership.
Among those involved in the discussions were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira; the number two in the Special Advisory Office of the Presidency, Audo Faleiro; the Minister of Justice, Wellington César; and the Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan.
Most of the meetings took place by telephone while Celso Amorim, the president's main international advisor, was returning from a trip to Russia.
The preliminary approach adopted by the Planalto Palace follows the line already defended by Amorim on other occasions: international cooperation to combat organized crime, but without any opening for external interference in Brazil's internal affairs.
Studies on economic and operational impacts
Lula also ordered studies to be carried out to assess the possible effects of the decision.
The Ministry of Justice was asked to conduct a survey on potential impacts on international cooperation between the two countries, especially regarding the sharing of information and joint operations to combat organized crime.
The Ministry of Finance was responsible for analyzing the potential economic repercussions of the measure.
The concern mainly involves the financial system, companies that may be affected by future international sanctions, and potential repercussions on investments and trade relations.
Classifying these factions as terrorist organizations expands the legal instruments available to the U.S. government to adopt restrictive measures against individuals, entities, and organizations that maintain financial or operational ties with groups classified in this category.
Defending sovereignty will be a central theme.
Although the form of the official response has not yet been defined, government officials say that at least two versions of the statement are ready for presidential evaluation.
The expectation is that any position taken will have as its main focus the defense of national sovereignty.
The government's communications team is also considering the possibility of Lula addressing the topic publicly during commitments scheduled for this Friday (29), in Sergipe.
The objective would be to reaffirm that Brazil has its own institutions to confront criminal organizations and that the fight against crime must occur within the legal and constitutional framework of the country.
The challenge is to criticize the measure without appearing to defend factions.
Behind the scenes, one of the government's main concerns is finding a tone that allows it to contest the US decision without giving the public the impression that it is defending the PCC or Comando Vermelho.
Presidential advisors acknowledge that there is a delicate line between diplomatic criticism and political interpretation of the message.
Therefore, one of the strategies being studied is to focus the discourse on the economic, legal, and diplomatic effects of the measure, seeking to broaden the debate beyond the issue of public safety.
The intention is to demonstrate that the government's questioning does not refer to the fight against criminal factions, but to the implications of the classification adopted by the United States and the way it was conducted.
International cooperation will continue to be advocated.
Despite criticism of how the decision was made, government officials say Brazil will continue to advocate for international cooperation in the fight against organized crime.
The government intends to emphasize that criminal organizations like the PCC and Comando Vermelho operate transnationally and require coordinated actions between different countries.
At the same time, the government wants to highlight that recent investigations demonstrate the ability of Brazilian authorities to identify and target sophisticated financial structures linked to criminal factions.
Behind the scenes, members of the federal administration also emphasize that the activities of these organizations reach diverse sectors of the economy and politics, requiring complex investigation and repression strategies.
While evaluating the official response, the government seeks to balance firmness in defending national sovereignty with maintaining channels of dialogue and cooperation with the United States.
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