Meeting between Lula and Trump: understand what was discussed and what the next steps are

Mauro Vieira says that the meeting between Lula and Trump was positive and that countries expect an agreement in a few weeks The meeting between the presidents of the United States, Donald Trump, and Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), which took place this Sunday (26), marked a new step in negotiations between the two countries. See the full meeting at the end of this report. This was the first time that the leaders met officially to talk about the tariffs imposed by the US on Brazilian exports. Before that, Trump and Lula spoke on the phone and met briefly at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in September. In an interview with journalists after the meeting, Brazil’s foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, stated that the meeting was positive, and reiterated that Lula once again asked for the suspension of tariffs during the negotiation period. Understand in this report what was discussed in the meeting between Lula and Trump and what the next steps are. What was discussed at the meeting? Bilateral negotiation The meeting between the two leaders began this Sunday morning (26) and lasted around 50 minutes. According to Brazilian representatives, Lula once again asked for the suspension of tariffs imposed on Brazilian exports during the negotiation period. In response, Trump declared that he will instruct his team to begin a bilateral negotiation process between the US and Brazil. (Understand more below) “We hope in a short time now, in a few weeks, to conclude a bilateral negotiation that deals with each of the sectors of the current American taxation on Brazil”, stated Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, after the meeting. Deficit in the trade balance The executive secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC), Márcio Elias Rosa, also stated that Lula made it clear that the motivation used by the USA to impose the increase in tariffs for the rest of the world does not apply to Brazil, since the country has a deficit in the trade balance with the North Americans. Bolsonaro’s situation was not discussed Rosa also highlighted that the two leaders did not discuss the current situation of former president Jair Bolsonaro, reiterating that Lula had only cited the injustice of the application of the Magnitsky Law against authorities of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), indicating that the ministers respected the legal process and that “there is no political or legal persecution”. Interlocution with Venezuela and reciprocal visits Finally, Lula was also willing to be an interlocutor in the dialogue between the USA and Venezuela, to seek solutions that were “mutually acceptable and correct between the two countries”, and the two leaders agreed on the need for a reciprocal visit. (See more below) Lula says he is grateful for the meeting with Trump: ‘A meeting that seemed impossible’ What are the next steps? Start of bilateral negotiations and suspension of tariffs According to Brazilian representatives, Trump stated that he would instruct his team to begin a period of bilateral negotiations. The Brazilian government’s expectation was for a meeting between the teams on Sunday night, Malaysian time, according to Chancellor Mauro Vieira. There was, however, a telephone conversation between him and Jamieson Greer, and the meeting was scheduled for Monday morning (27). “This will be the first step in the negotiating process, the meeting with the three members of the American delegation […]. And we are going to establish a negotiation schedule and establish the sectors we are going to talk about so that we can move forward,” said Vieira. Also according to the minister, Brazil should also ask for the suspension of tariffs imposed by the US during the negotiation period. There is, however, no forecast of if and when the rates should be suspended. “We hope to conclude a bilateral negotiation that deals with each of the current taxation sectors in a short time now, in a few weeks. to Brazil”, said Vieira, highlighting that Lula is willing to talk about “all sectors and areas of bilateral trade, and also about the issue of critical minerals and rare earths”. form or when this intermediation could take place. Trump in Brazil and Lula in the USA Vieira also stated that there was an understanding between the two presidents on the need for reciprocal visits. “President Trump wants to go to Brazil and President Lula also accepted, he said he will gladly go to the United States in the future,” said the minister, without giving further details on when the visits should take place. The presidents of the United States, Donald Trump, and Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), speak to journalists before a meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters See the full meeting between Lula and Trump: See the full conversation between Lula and Trump with journalists before the meeting in Malaysia

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