Presidents Lula and Trump likely to talk next week
Brazil’s Planalto presidential palace confirmed that US President Donald Trump suggested to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that the two talk next week. The proposal was made Tuesday (Sep. 23) during a brief, unscheduled meeting between the two leaders.
According to the Planalto press office, Lula and Trump had a brief and friendly conversation when they met at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, where they participated in the 80th General Assembly of the organization, along with heads of state and officials from 191 other member nations.
The idea is said to have been immediately accepted by Lula. Now advisors to both presidents must take the necessary steps, but it is not yet certain whether the conversation will be in person or by phone.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Trump publicly revealed he intends to “meet” with Lula next week. “I was walking in and the leader of Brazil was walking out. I saw him and he saw me and we embraced, the US president said. “But we actually agreed that we would meet next week. We didn’t have much time to talk, about 20 seconds… But we did talk, we had a good talk, and we agreed to meet next week, if that’s of interest. But he seemed like a very nice man, actually,” he added.
“He liked me and I liked him. And I only do business with people I like. When I don’t like them, I don’t like them. But at least for about 39 seconds we had excellent chemistry. It’s a good sign,” Trump went on to declare, adding that Brazil “can only do well when they’re working with us. Without us they will fail, just as others have failed.”
President Trump’s statements come as a surprise as they were made in the midst of a diplomatic crisis between Brazil and the US. Since July this year, the US government has been on a trade offensive against Brazil, imposing tariffs on Brazilian imports, applying sanctions against Brazilian officials, and attempting to interfere in decisions by the Brazilian judiciary.
In his traditional opening speech at the UN General Assembly, President Lula, without mentioning Trump, criticized the “arbitrary and unilateral sanctions” of the US, stating that the world is witnessing a rise in authoritarianism.
“Multilateralism is at a new crossroads. The authority of this organization [the UN] is being questioned. We are witnessing the consolidation of international disorder marked by repeated concessions to power politics, attacks on sovereignty, and arbitrary sanctions. And unilateral interventions are becoming the norm,” Lula said.
