Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump had their first encounter this Tuesday (23) since the Republican imposed sanctions on Brazil. The conversation, brief and not scheduled on the agenda, took place backstage at the UN General Assembly after both gave their speeches, and resulted in an agreement for a meeting next week.
Trump said there was “excellent chemistry” with Lula. “I only do business with people I like. And I liked him, and he liked me. For at least 30 seconds we had excellent chemistry, that’s a good sign,” the American said in his speech. Lula replied that he is always open to dialogue.
The rapprochement comes amid strong tension between Brazil and the U.S., marked by the trial of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), Trump’s ally. The Republican called the process a “witch hunt” and, in retaliation, applied a series of punitive measures against the country, including a 50% tariff on Brazilian products, financial sanctions on Justice Alexandre de Moraes (STF), and visa restrictions on officials.
In the most recent escalation, Trump included Moraes’s wife, Viviane Barci, in sanctions under the Magnitsky Act and suspended the visa of the AGU minister, Jorge Messias.
Despite Lula’s criticism of U.S. actions in his speech, the brief gesture between the two presidents cheered markets: the real rose about 1% against the dollar, and the Brazilian stock market reached a record high.
