Brazil Bets Against Washington: Why Lula Rejected Trump’s Critical Minerals Alliance

2026-02-08 - 20:25

Key Points — Brazil formally declined to join a U.S.-led coalition of 54 nations on critical minerals, sending only a low-ranking diplomat to observe the Washington ministerial while Trump mobilized over $30 billion in financing and signed frameworks with 28 countries. — Sitting on 94% of global niobium reserves and the world’s second-largest rare earth