Brazil and USA confirm meeting between Lula and Trump for this Sunday

Brazil and the USA confirm a meeting between Lula and Trump for this Sunday The governments of Brazil and the United States confirmed, this Sunday (26), the planned meeting between presidents Lula (PT) and Donald Trump. The meeting should take place at 4:30 am Brasília time, according to the Brazilian government. Shortly before the meeting, Lula spoke during the Business Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and again criticized trade protectionism, without mentioning Trump. “We cannot accept the idea of ​​protectionism. The more freedom to do business and the more multilateralism, the more we, as countries, will have chances to grow,” he declared. This will be the first official meeting between Lula and Trump since the beginning of the crisis caused by the 50% tariff applied by the United States to Brazilian products. And also since Trump assumed the presidency of the North American country. What to expect from the meeting This Saturday (25), the Brazilian president said he was confident that the conversation could lead to a solution to the differences between the two countries. “I work with optimism that we can find a solution,” he stated. “There is no demand from him and there is no demand from me yet. Let’s put the problems on the table and try to find a solution. So you can be sure that there will be a solution.” The United States leader also signaled that he may review the increase in tariffs on Brazilian products, “under the right circumstances”. While boarding for Asia, a reporter asked if he would reduce tariffs on Brazil. “Under the right circumstances,” replied the American president. 👉🏽 There is an expectation that the meeting will serve to reorganize the bilateral relationship, which has been shaken since the announcement of American tariffs on Brazilian products. The two leaders have been getting closer since September. During the United Nations Assembly, Lula and Trump crossed paths and said they had “good chemistry”. Furthermore, earlier this month the two spoke for around 30 minutes in a call brokered by the diplomats of both countries. During this conversation, Lula asked Trump to revoke sanctions against Brazilian authorities and asked for the removal of a 40% surcharge on the entry of Brazilian products into the USA, in force since August. The expectation is that the two issues will be addressed by Lula at this Sunday’s meeting. Lula’s aides do not rule out that the Brazilian president will take advantage of the opportunity to also talk about Trump’s attacks against Venezuela and Colombia. The Brazilian president has already made it clear that he is against any type of attempted intervention in South American countries and intends to address recent US actions in Venezuela, including attacks on boats off the Venezuelan coast and secret CIA operations, justified by the US government as combating drug trafficking. Lula warns that such measures could worsen regional instability and weaken the sovereignty of countries, arguing that diplomatic dialogue should prevail over military interventions. Lula says he hopes to meet with Trump and believes in a solution Tariff One of the topics that should be addressed at the meeting is the tariff announced by President Donald Trump on Brazilian products — culminating in a 50% surcharge. When justifying the fees, the North American president even cited economic issues, such as a supposed deficit with Brazil – non-existent according to official figures. But he also pointed out political issues related to the case against former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and “freedom of expression rights of American citizens”, among others. Lula says he will talk to Trump about tariffs and sanctions on ministers: ‘I want to prove that there was a mistake’ Sanctions on ministers In addition to tariffs, the United States also sanctioned ministers of the Brazilian Supreme Court. In July, the Trump administration’s Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, reported that the American visas of STF minister Alexandre de Moraes and seven other ministers had been revoked. Furthermore, he sanctioned Minister Moraes with the Magnitsky law, used to punish foreigners. The Magnitsky Act allows the United States to impose sanctions on foreign citizens. The aim is to punish people accused of serious human rights violations or large-scale corruption. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent directly mentioned an alleged “witch hunt” targeting former president Jair Bolsonaro by the minister. Tension in Venezuela The American military buildup in Venezuela should also be one of the topics discussed at the meeting. The presence of warships, combat planes, soldiers and the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in the Caribbean, in operations justified by the US as combating drug trafficking, has generated strong tension in the region. Since September 2, at least ten boats allegedly used for trafficking have been bombed, resulting in at least 43 deaths. Nicolás Maduro’s government accuses Washington of “inventing a war” to try to overthrow him, while Venezuelan authorities warn of the risk of a broader military threat to Latin America. The Brazilian president has already made it clear that he is against any type of intervention in countries in the region, arguing that these actions could worsen instability and violate sovereignty. Lula intends to discuss the situation directly with Trump, reinforcing that dialogue and cooperation must prevail over unilateral interventions, maintaining South America and the Caribbean as zones of peace. Recently, when asked about Trump’s statements – that a declaration of war would not be necessary to kill drug traffickers -, Lula initially criticized the American president’s stance, but later recanted, clarifying that his words had been misplaced. Furthermore, this week, Trump admitted to having authorized covert CIA operations in Venezuela, deepening the risk of escalation. Despite American justifications, UN data shows that the drug that causes the most overdoses in the USA, fentanyl, comes mostly from Mexico, raising doubts about the real objectives of military actions in the Caribbean. Delicate relationship The assessment at Palácio do Planalto is that a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders, at this time, takes discussions to “another level” and is an important step to “reorganize the relationship between Trump and Lula and the agenda between the two countries”, after months of tension. Planalto understands that the relationship is unlocked, especially after the “very positive” meeting between the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the Brazilian Chancellor, Mauro Vieira. Lula and Trump never had a close relationship. During the 2024 American presidential elections, Lula stated that a victory for then-candidate Kamala Harris represented a “safer path to strengthening democracy”. “With Kamala Harris, it is much safer for us to strengthen democracy. We saw what President Trump was like […]that attack on the Capitol. Something that was unthinkable to happen in the USA, because they presented themselves to the world as a model of democracy. And that model collapsed,” he said at the time. After Trump took office, the Brazilian president even stated that he had no interest in speaking to the American president at the moment. The relationship between the two cooled even further when Trump announced 10% tariffs on products from a list of countries, including Brazil, in April this year. At the time, Lula said that Brazil would not give up its sovereignty. Lula gives an interview to journalists during a trip to Indonesia Ricardo Stuckert / PR

Source link