U.S. President Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, met on Sunday on the sidelines of a regional summit in Malaysia, signaling a renewed effort to mend fraught bilateral relations and resolve an ongoing trade dispute.
Speaking to reporters ahead of their meeting, President Trump expressed optimism about the future of US-Brazil economic ties, suggesting the two countries could soon strike favorable agreements.
“It’s a great honor to be with the President of Brazil,” Trump said. “I think we should be able to make some pretty good deals for both countries… We always have had a good relationship — I think it will continue.”
The meeting, taking place during Trump’s visit to the Southeast Asian nation, comes months after the US administration hiked tariffs on Brazilian imports, a move which has strained relations between the world’s two largest democracies.
Following the discussion, President Lula da Silva took to social media platform X to characterize the dialogue as “frank and constructive,” emphasizing the focus on trade and economic grievances.
“I had a great meeting with President Trump on this Sunday afternoon in Malaysia. We discussed the bilateral trade and economic agenda in a frank and constructive manner. We agreed that our teams will meet immediately to advance in the search for solutions to the tariffs and sanctions against Brazilian authorities,” Lula da Silva tweeted.
The presidents’ teams are now expected to convene swiftly to tackle issues including US tariffs on Brazilian goods and other economic sanctions, a resolution to which would signal a significant warming of relations after a period of icy diplomatic exchanges.