Aides of the Brazilian president fear the unpredictability of the Republican, who has already embarrassed leaders from other countries; Meeting in a third country is considered
The unexpected approach between the president (PT) and the president of the United States, made room for new negotiations, but also lit alerts at the Planalto Palace. Lula’s assistants evaluate that the Republican gesture – can become a political weapon for the opposition. The informal meeting between the two took place behind the scenes of the UN General Assembly in New York and was initially celebrated by the government as a diplomatic victory.
The gesture broke a blockade articulated by (PL) allies, who had been trying to avoid approximation between Lula and the US government. In addition, it opened the perspective of a negotiation around the 50% surcharge imposed by Trump on Brazilian products. Nevertheless, reading in Planalto is that republican unpredictability can convert the movement at political risk.
Trump has a history of embarrassing foreign leaders in official meetings, as happened with the president of Ukraine, and South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. For this reason, Lula’s assistants argue that the first formal contact either by telephone or video conferencing, postponing the possibility of a face -to -face meeting. Also at the table is the proposal for meeting in a third country. Brazilian diplomats work in alternatives in a “neutral territory”, such as Malaysia or, where Lula will have international commitments in October. The goal would be to reduce exposure to unforeseen events in Washington or Mar-A-Lago, Trump’s residence in Florida.
The opposition, however, tries to capitalize on the situation. Parliamentarians close to Jair Bolsonaro mocked Lula’s caution and accuse the president of “running away” from a direct meeting. Republican Senator Shane Jett, ally of Eduardo Bolsonaro, classified the petista as “coward” for prioritizing the remote conversation. Deputies, such as Filipe Barros and Colonel Zucco, claim that the petista fears Trump’s public criticism of censorship, persecution of opponents and human rights violations in Brazil.
For the Planalto, the challenge is to balance the gains of an opening of dialogue with the risks that Trump’s nod, received as cordial gesture, becomes the stage for political embarrassment.
Posted by Felipe Dantas
*Report produced with the aid of AI
