The expected meeting between presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump could take place next Monday, October 27, before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia. Interlocutors from the Lula government state that this is the expectation, but emphasize that the meeting has not yet been confirmed, although the chances of it taking place are high, considering that both representatives will be in Kuala Lumpur.
President Lula embarks this Tuesday on an official mission to Southeast Asia. He will have commitments in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the 23rd and 24th of October, and in Kuala Lumpur, on the 25th to 27th, where he will pay a state visit to the Malaysian Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and will participate as a guest at the ASEAN meeting.
The meeting between Lula and Trump will take place at a strategic moment for relations between Brazil and the United States, after the imposition of high tariffs on Brazilian products and the application of sanctions against national citizens, including the minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), Alexandre de Moraes. According to the White House, these measures are related to the case against former president Jair Bolsonaro by the STF.
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Authorities monitoring the issue in Brasília assess that the meeting could represent the beginning of a change in the bilateral relationship, paving the way for trade negotiations and more stable political dialogue. The expectation is that there will be willingness on both sides to overcome the worst crisis in more than 200 years of relations between Brazil and the United States.
Last week, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, met in Washington with the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio. According to participants, Vieira and Lula limited the discussions to economic topics, avoiding mentioning sensitive internal issues, such as the situation involving Bolsonaro.
During the meeting in Washington, it was decided that trade issues — including the so-called tariffs and the investigation against Brazil opened by Section 301 of American trade legislation — will be conducted by the USTR (Office of the US Trade Representative) and the vice president and minister of Development, Industry and Commerce, Geraldo Alckmin. Political and diplomatic issues, such as the sanctions imposed on Brazilian citizens and the situation involving the USA and Venezuela, will remain the responsibility of Vieira and Rubio.
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On July 9 of this year, Donald Trump announced a 40% surcharge on Brazilian products, which was added to the 10% tariff already applied to all countries that trade with the USA. Trump conditioned a trade negotiation with Brazil on the shelving of the case against Bolsonaro. The Lula government reacted, stating that Trump was interfering in internal affairs and that the powers in the country are independent.
Vieira requested the suspension of tariffs for the duration of negotiations between the two countries, reiterating the request made by Lula to the American president in a telephone conversation that took place around two weeks ago.
