French President Emmanuel Macron has described Brazilian President Jacques Bolsonaro's speech as a "little respect" for France's first lady, in the latest wave of war of words between them over the Amazon fires.
On the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, Macron said Bolsonaro "made statements that did not respect my wife."
"What can I say? It is sad first for him and for the Brazilian people," he said. "He hopes that Brazilians will soon have a president who is acting at a decent level." "I think Brazilians who are great people are ashamed of such actions," he said.
| Brazilian President Bolsonaro scoffs at French President Macron's wife |
Brazilian President Bolsonaro reacted on his Facebook page to a post that mocked the image of Brigitte Macron, 67, in a photo she compares to Brazilian First Lady Michelle Bolsanuro, 37, with a comment: "Now you understand why Macron is pursuing Bolsonaro; it's jealousy."
“Don't embarrass the man,” Bolsonaro's account commented, with a hint of laughter.
Macron called for urgent discussions at the G7 summit on fires that are devastating parts of the Amazon jungle, in an escalation of pressure on Bolsonaro.
However, the Brazilian president accused Macron of being a "colonial mentality", in response to the French president's accusation that he was a "lie" about Brazil's climate change commitments.