On the eve of the meeting between Donald Trump and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, scheduled for this Sunday (26) in Kuala Lumpur, the United States government is trying to signal a truce after months of commercial and diplomatic tension. According to the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, the American president will “explore ways to overcome differences” with Brazil and seek “a new understanding” during the meeting parallel to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit.
Em Rubio stated that Washington considers Brazil “a long-term strategic partner” and that it would be “beneficial” for the Latin American country to choose the United States, and not China, as its main commercial ally.
Despite the conciliatory tone, Rubio acknowledged that the dialogue between the two governments still faces sensitive issues. He cited as points of friction Brazil’s relationship with former president Jair Bolsonaro — convicted by the Federal Supreme Court for an attempted coup — and the restrictions imposed on American big tech in the country.
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“We have some issues with Brazil, particularly about how they treated their judges and how they have dealt with North American companies and individuals on social media,” said the secretary. “But President Trump wants to find ways to move forward because we believe this will be beneficial to both sides.”
The tariff imposed by Trump in July, which increased duties on Brazilian products by up to 50%, is still the main obstacle in the negotiations. At the time, the American government alleged “political persecution” against Bolsonaro, which led to the freezing of part of bilateral relations.
Rubio also mentioned that Lula and Trump had a “positive conversation” in recent days and that there is a willingness on both sides to reestablish commercial cooperation. The secretary also said that he had recently met with Chancellor Mauro Vieira and highlighted Brazil’s role in discussions about the crisis in Venezuela — although he considered that “he doesn’t know if Brazilians can be useful” in convincing Nicolás Maduro to back down in the face of international pressure.
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Sunday’s meeting will be the first meeting between Lula and Trump since the Republican’s inauguration for a new term, and takes place amid an open dispute between Washington and Beijing for economic influence in Latin America. The outcome of the dialogue could determine whether the US is willing to review the tariff and resume a partnership that, until a few months ago, seemed distant.
