Brazil warns France and Germany of US and Russian interference ahead of presidential election

Intelligence briefing in Brasília

Between 9 and 11 September 2026, officials from the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) met with a joint diplomatic delegation from France and Germany in Brasília. According to records kept by a participant in the meetings, Abin officials confirmed the existence of foreign interference efforts coming from both the United States and Russia ahead of the vote. Brazilian intelligence personnel stated that American actions ranged from judicial pressure to openly declared political influence, while presenting no specific details regarding the nature of alleged Russian activities. The French and German representatives travelled to Brazil as part of European Union consultations on implementing the Digital Services Act, a regulatory mechanism to combat disinformation that Washington previously criticized for unfairly targeting American technology firms.

Pre-election tensions and US actions

The diplomatic meetings occurred in the final weeks before the first round of Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, 4 October 2026. Incumbent leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva faces conservative Senator Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested race. Flávio Bolsonaro is the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of Donald Trump who is serving a prison sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup following the 2022 election. Bilateral relations between Brasília and Washington have deteriorated over a series of punitive US measures. Washington previously imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes in August 2025 for alleged corruption and human rights violations after Moraes oversaw legal proceedings against Jair Bolsonaro. Additionally, in May 2026, the United States formally designated Brazilian criminal factions, specifically the Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho, as global terrorist organizations.

International reactions and rising cyber threats

President Lula has repeatedly warned against external interference in the electoral process, stating that he cautioned Donald Trump directly against meddling. The issue surfaced publicly after the contents of an Abin assessment were revealed on 19 September 2026 by the newspaper O Globo. Three days later, on 22 September 2026, Lula criticized what he viewed as an ongoing pressure campaign during his speech before the United Nations General Assembly.

The country does not fit in anyone's backyard.

Concern over the administration's actions also prompted 31 Democratic members of the US Congress to write to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, urging Washington to avoid interfering in Brazil's politics and trade. Simultaneously, digital threats against Brazilian state infrastructure have surged. A Brazilian cybersecurity official who attended the September meetings reported that cyberattacks in Brazil nearly doubled compared to 2025, with an increase in intrusion attempts targeting the presidential office ahead of the ballot.

Strategic context and timeline

The intelligence exchanges in Brasília indicate that countries identifying as potential targets of American electoral influence are comparing information and coordinating responses across the Atlantic. The Trump administration has broken with long-standing conventions by openly backing aligned right-wing figures internationally, including providing financial aid to Argentine President Javier Milei and dispatching Vice President J.D. Vance to Hungary to campaign for Viktor Orbán before Orbán lost his election. While representatives from France and Germany confirmed their presence in Brasília, the US State Department, Abin, and the Russian embassy did not respond to requests for comment, with both Washington and Moscow maintaining previous denials of election interference.