During a press conference in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Friday (24), Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva shared key points that he plans to raise in an upcoming meeting with Donald Trump, the president of the United States. The meeting is scheduled for Sunday (26).
If confirmed, the bilateral meeting will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It would mark the first direct dialogue between the two leaders since Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods exported to the U.S.
“I’m very interested in this meeting, in showing that there was a mistake in the tariffs, in showing the numbers,” Lula told journalists in Indonesia. “The thesis that justified taxing Brazil has no basis in truth. The United States has had a trade surplus of US$410 billion with Brazil over the past 15 years,” he explained.
The Brazilian president also stated that he intends to discuss U.S.-imposed sanctions on Supreme Court justices in Brazil. “The claim that Brazil does not respect human rights because a former president is being prosecuted is not true. Anyone who commits a crime in Brazil is tried and, if guilty, is punished,” Lula said, referring to the arguments Trump used to apply the Magnitsky Act, a U.S. law that authorizes sanctions against foreign officials accused of human rights violations, against Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Lula also expressed openness to hearing any unforeseen demands the United States may bring to the table. “Brazil will hear what it wants and what it doesn’t want as well.”
Among other issues that Lula believes may come up in the conversation are the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza, the war in Ukraine, critical materials, and rare earth minerals. The president also emphasized his belief in the power of diplomacy to rebuild “a civilized relationship with the U.S.” “I never go into a meeting unless I believe it will succeed,” he said.
