Washington DC: United States President Donald Trump called Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday (local time) and offered assistance, if needed, to tackle the raging wildfires in the Amazon rainforest.
Just spoke with President @JairBolsonaro of Brazil. Our future Trade prospects are very exciting and our relationship is strong, perhaps stronger than ever before. I told him if the United States can help with the Amazon Rainforest fires, we stand ready to assist!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 23, 2019
The far-right leader told reporters on Friday that he was inclined to deploy the troops using a presidential decree. Brazil's environmental agency, IBAMA, is also hiring hundreds of temporary firefighters to help fight the fires, CNN reported after quoting the agency on Friday.
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The announcement came as political, civil society leaders and celebrities around the world stepped up their pressure on the Brazilian government over the blazing rainforest.
France and Ireland said they would block a trade deal between the European Union and Mercosur, the economic and political bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, unless Brazil takes action on the Amazon forest.
French President Emmanuel Macron called the Amazon wildfires an "international crisis" that needed to be on the agenda at the G7 summit in Biarritz.
Bolsonaro denounced Macron's offer as "sensationalist" and accused him of using the fires for "political gain."
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reiterated Macron's stance and said international cooperation is needed to protect rainforests. (ANI)
