3 weeks ago
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Early this week, erstwhile Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s abrupt travel to Washington was announced, Brasilia was rife with speculation implicit whether the sojourn had thing to bash with the upcoming elections. The buzz intensified erstwhile Flávio Bolsonaro, the presumptive far-right candidate, flew to Miami a time earlier Mr. Lula’s gathering with Donald Trump connected Thursday (May 8, 2026).
While Flávio went to mingle with his allies of the American right, Lula arrived successful Washington with important authorities matters connected his docket — tariffs, uncommon world minerals and planetary conflicts. With ties betwixt the 2 countries progressively acrimonious, hostility was palpable erstwhile Lula landed successful Washington.
Red carpet welcome
But Mr. Trump received Mr. Lula warmly connected a reddish carpet astatine the White House earlier they entered talks that stretched for 3 hours. Though nary associated connection was issued aft the meeting, some leaders released affirmative statements. Posting connected his societal media platform, Mr. Trump described the talks arsenic “very good” and praised Lula arsenic a “very dynamic” leader. Lula, too, called the talks an “important step” successful bilateral relations. “I permission the gathering satisfied. I bash not person a forbidden subject. The lone happening we bash not springiness up is our ideology and our sovereignty,” the Brazilian President said.
Tariffs were the archetypal contented connected the table. Last year, Mr. Trump had imposed 50% tariffs connected Brazilian goods. Fears of caller sanctions person persisted arsenic Washington precocious opened a probe into Brazil’s integer outgo level PIX, often compared to India’s UPI system. But the gathering produced a breakthrough, with some sides agreeing to found a moving radical connected tariffs. Lula said helium personally projected the mechanism, which would bring unneurotic the groups of some countries to negociate a solution wrong 30 days. “Whoever is incorrect volition yield. If we person to yield, we volition yield,” Mr. Lula said successful Washington.
Breathing room
According to Brazilian sources, the 30-day play volition not lone springiness Brasília immoderate breathing country but besides assistance hole for different gathering betwixt Mr. Trump and Mr. Lula astatine the G7 acme successful France adjacent month. “This clip framework has been prepared with the G7 gathering successful mind,” a Brazilian authoritative said connected information of anonymity. “Now, we tin expect aggravated discussions betwixt the 2 sides and, if things spell well, possibly adjacent an announcement astatine the G7 summit.”
The White House sojourn is already being seen arsenic a triumph for Mr. Lula. While the 2 Presidents discussed tariffs and uncommon world minerals, they avoided contentious issues specified arsenic PIX and the imaginable classification of Brazilian transgression factions arsenic “terrorist” organisations — a connection Mr. Trump has pushed for months. “Now Trump volition deliberation doubly earlier taking decisions contrary to our interests. Lula having utilized the connection ‘sovereignty’ repeatedly was essential,” said Celso Amorim, the Brazilian President’s peculiar advisor connected overseas policy.
But it was the treatment connected rare-earth minerals that projected the existent strategical intent of Lula’s Washington visit. As Mr. Trump prepares for a acme with Chinese President Xi Jinping adjacent week, Brazil has abruptly recovered itself astatine the centre of the increasing contention betwixt the U.S. and China. Home to the world’s second-largest reserves of captious minerals, Brazil is seen by the U.S. arsenic a imaginable alternate to China successful planetary proviso chains.
American investments
In Washington, Lula resisted unit to align Brazil exclusively with Washington connected captious minerals, but helium did not unopen the doorway connected American investments. “We person to travel these things much precisely. We person a batch of involvement successful the US investing again successful Brazil,” Mr. Lula said. However, Mr. Lula made it wide that Brazil would not judge the aged exemplary of exporting earthy wealthiness without home gains. “So, with uncommon earths, we are going to alteration our behavior. We privation Brazil to beryllium the large victor of this wealthiness that quality gave us.”
The rare-earth propulsion is besides portion of Brazil’s effort to presumption itself arsenic a large planetary player, without ruffling feathers successful China – its biggest trading spouse and investor. A time earlier Mr. Lula’s trip, the Brazilian Congress passed a Bill creating a ineligible model for captious minerals and uncommon earths. After Lula’s gathering with Mr. Trump, the authorities said the Bill could beryllium approved by the Senate arsenic aboriginal arsenic this month. “I told President Trump astir the instrumentality connected captious minerals and besides astir the mounting up of a Council which volition dainty the contented of captious minerals arsenic a substance of nationalist sovereignty,” Mr. Lula said aft the meeting.
If Mr. Lula utilized uncommon earths to task Brazil’s planetary role, helium was arsenic cautious to support his home turf. Despite aggravated speculation earlier the trip, Lula made definite that the country’s upcoming predetermination did not diagnostic successful his chat with Mr. Trump. That was politically important fixed the adjacent ties betwixt Mr. Trump and the Bolsonaro clan. As speculation persisted successful the media, Lula denied helium spoke astir elections with Mr. Trump. “There is nary anticipation of maine discussing this taxable with immoderate president. This is simply a Brazilian issue. They cognize that; they are presidents too,” Mr. Lula said.
The gathering successful Washington was the 3rd betwixt Lula and Mr. Trump since the Republican person returned to the White House successful 2025. At their archetypal brushwood successful September past year, Mr. Trump had remarked that the 2 leaders shared “excellent chemistry.” The latest gathering took spot successful a acold much tense climate. But Brazilian analysts judge Lula emerged from Washington with a victory. “Many radical thought that Lula would autumn into immoderate trap oregon that they would hole an ambush, arsenic happened with different heads of state, but nary of that happened,” said Ricardo Kotscho, a salient governmental commentator successful Brazil. “From his accomplishment to the statements by President Trump and the photographs released, it shows that it was a large occurrence and a diplomatic triumph for Lula.”
Mr. Lula went to Washington conscionable days earlier Trump’s high-stakes travel to Beijing. With the 2 leaders expected to conscionable again astatine the G7 Summit successful June, the negotiations implicit tariffs and uncommon earths could lone intensify successful coming weeks.
