The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvastated this Friday that he was “fully interested” in meeting with his American counterpart, donald trumpduring the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that both will share this weekend in Kuala Lumpur.
“I am fully interested in that meeting. I am fully willing to defend Brazil’s interests and show that there was a mistake in the tariffs on Brazil”Lula declared to the press in Jakarta.
On his first stop on his tour of the Southeast Asiathe president made reference to the imposition of 50% tariffs by the United States, a measure taken by Trump in retaliation for the trial against former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro. “I want to prove with numbers that this is a mistake“he insisted
Both presidents will meet on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, although the White House has not yet confirmed a bilateral meeting.
“Everyone knows that I used to say that when President Trump wants to talk, Brazil is ready to negotiate“, insisted Lula, who assured that there are no topics “vetoed” in the conversations and that he is open to dialogue about “Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Venezuela, critical minerals, rare earths…”.
Lula expressed optimism regarding a possible agreement to overcome the diplomatic crisis. “If I didn’t believe it was possible to reach an agreement, I wouldn’t have this meeting.. I never participate in a meeting where I believe I cannot succeed. I will only know if it is a success if I participate,” he said.
The president, who will soon turn 80, also confirmed his intention to seek re-election in the elections in October next year. The Brazilian president is scheduled to travel this Friday to Kuala Lumpurwhere he will hold a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and attend on Sunday to the ASEAN summit with Trump.
Lula arrived in Oriente on Thursday and has already signed, next to his Indonesian counterpart, Prabowo Subianto, a series of agreements aimed at strengthening bilateral trade during the visit of the Brazilian president to Jakarta.
Both leaders led the signing of treaties in sectors such as energy, mining, agriculture and technologyin a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace.
“We are going to make a very big effort so that Indonesia and Brazil become two fundamental players in the economic geography of the world,” Lula highlighted. The countries, with a combined population close to 500 million, reached a trade exchange of 7.15 billion dollars in 2024, with a surplus for Brazil of about 3.7 billion, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Commerce.
In his speech, the Brazilian president highlighted the potential of both markets, defended trade with clear rules and criticized “protectionism.” Lula also expressed the intention to expand military cooperation, especially through agreements for the supply of aircraft to the Indonesian Air Force..
(With information from EFE)
