Partnership with Brazil “important,” says US secretary of state

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the Planalto presidential palace on Wednesday (Feb. 21).

“It was a great meeting. I’m really grateful to President [Lula] for his time,” Secretary Blinken said after leaving the gathering.

“The United States and Brazil are doing so many important things together. We’re working together bilaterally, regionally, globally. It’s a very important partnership,” he went on to say.

The US official came to Brazil to take part in the meeting of ministers from the G20—a group that brings together the 19 largest economies in the world plus the European and the African Unions. The assembly is slated to take place in Rio de Janeiro today and tomorrow (22).

After Brazil, Blinken should visit Argentina, where he is expected to meet with President Javier Milei.

The meeting with Lula lasted almost two hours and the agenda included topics such as US support for Brazil’s presidency of the G20 and the partnership between the two countries for workers’ rights and cooperation in the transition to clean energy.

In 2024, Brazil and the US are celebrating 200 years of diplomatic relations.