Today's Edition
BRASILIA (AFP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva urged US President Donald Trump to lift trade tariffs in their first official talks Monday, with both suggesting an in-person meeting in the near future.
The two leaders spoke for 30 minutes in a "friendly tone" and Lula raised the possibility of an in-person meeting in Malaysia next month, the Brazilian presidency said in a statement.
Lula "requested the removal" of tariffs imposed on his country's products and sanctions against Brazilian officials.
Trump hailed "a very good telephone call" in a post on Truth Social.
"We will be having further discussions, and will get together in the not too distant future, both in Brazil and the United States," he said.
Trump has imposed a 50-percent tariff on Brazilian products and imposed sanctions against several top officials, including a top Supreme Court judge.
"We are very optimistic that we will move toward a win-win situation in this relationship," said Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who has been tasked with continuing negotiations with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
He noted the call had gone "even better than we expected" and that the two presidents had exchanged personal phone numbers.
The phone call came after what first appeared to be a chance encounter on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month that led Trump to hail his "excellent chemistry" with Lula.
However the Estadao news site reported the brief run-in, which included a hug, was actually the result of an intensive behind-the-scenes "diplomatic operation."
