Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will not attend the signing of a major trade deal between the EU and the Mercosur bloc on Saturday in Paraguay, a source in the Brazilian presidency told AFP.

Lula ‘is not going,’ the source said Thursday, explaining that the signing was initially planned as a ministerial-level event, and Paraguay had issued ‘last-minute’ invites to presidents.

Paraguayan president Santiago Pena and his Uruguayan counterpart Yamandu Orsi will attend the signing. Argentine president Javier Milei has not confirmed his presence.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa will meet with Lula in Brazil on Friday before heading to Paraguay for the signing.

The deal between the European Union and Mercosur founding members Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay, has been 25 years in the making.

Lula, whose country held the rotating presidency of Mercosur in 2025, fought hard for the deal, which he hailed as a win for multilateralism in a world of ‘growing protectionism and unilateralism.’

Brazil’s deputy president Geraldo Alckmin said Thursday that Lula ‘was the one who did all the work. His leadership and perseverance were fundamental to an agreement that had been worked on for 25 years but never materialized.’

Supporters in Europe see the deal as crucial to boost exports, support the continent’s ailing economy and foster diplomatic ties at a time of global uncertainty.

However European farmers have protested against the deal, fearing their livelihoods will be undercut by an influx of cheap beef and other products from South America.