Brazil-US ties see feeble thaw despite Lula's upbeat tone

New York, Sep 25
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has voiced optimism after a brief meeting with US President Donald Trump, even as ties between the two countries remain tense.



At a press conference on Wednesday (local time), Lula said that he believed Trump was ill-informed about Brazil and that a meeting between the two heads of state would clear up any misunderstanding, Xinhua News Agency reported.

"Let's bring everything to the table -- everything that we think we should talk about," he said, adding that what is not discussable is Brazil's sovereignty and democracy, obviously referring to the sentencing of his immediate predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

Trump, in his speech to the general debate of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, said that he had a brief exchange with Lula, and they agreed to meet next week. Trump said there was "chemistry" between him and Lula.

Amid growing tensions with the United States over new tariffs and digital regulations, Lula has recently rejected U.S. pressure over the conviction of Bolsonaro, saying Brazil "is not a banana republic" that bows to foreign interference.

Earlier on September 10, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Brazil is a "sovereign country" and Brazilians are "masters of our own destiny," in a message addressed to his US counterpart, Trump.

The statement came a day after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said the United States will not hesitate to use economic and military might to defend "freedom of expression," when she was asked about the ongoing trial of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

In response, Lula said, "If Trump comes, we will have to show him this panel so he can see it and compare it with the American panel. So he knows that we believe in ourselves. We are a sovereign country, and we are masters of our own destiny. This is a demonstration of Brazilian competence in all areas."

On July 30, the Trump administration announced plans to impose tariffs of up to 50 per cent on Brazilian exports and sanction Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice. Moraes oversaw the case against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting to seize power following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election.