Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he was “happy and optimistic” about restoring ties with the United States following a brief but positive meeting with President Donald Trump at the 80th UN General Assembly session.
The two leaders met by coincidence in New York and agreed to hold bilateral talks aimed at improving relations between the two countries.
Trump later said he and Lula had “excellent chemistry”, while Lula expressed hope that the possible meeting could help heal tensions in relations. “I saw him, he saw me, and we embraced,” Trump said of their encounter at the UN General Assembly.
“The Brazilian president seemed like a very nice, humble man,” Trump added.
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Relations between the two nations soured after the Brazilian Supreme Court rejected Trump’s demands for the release of former president Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to plot a coup against Lula’s government in 2023.
In retaliation, Trump imposed a 50 per cent tariff on most Brazilian products in July, sanctioned Supreme Court Judge Moraes, and revoked the visas of several government officials, describing the court’s actions against Bolsonaro as a witch hunt.
Lula suggested Trump was probably acting on incorrect information about Brazil, a country with which the US maintains a trade surplus.
Striking a conciliatory tone, Lula said, “Everything can be sorted out when two people talk.”
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