President Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, have had a call described by both sides as friendly and positive as Brazil seeks to reduce a 50% US tariff on imports.
In Monday's video chat, Lula asked Trump to remove most of the duties. Trump mentioned on social media that the communication was a very good telephone call.
This was their first formal conversation following a brief meeting at the United Nations General Assembly last month.
Relations had been strained after Trump raised tariffs this summer on several Brazilian goods in response to the coup-plot trial of Lula's predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Historically, Lula had accused Trump of foreign interference and compared his conduct to that of an emperor.
Nevertheless, on Monday, both leaders reportedly spoke for half an hour in a friendly tone, recalling their positive interactions in New York.
Lula characterized the conversation as a chance to restore amicable relations between the two largest Western democracies, underlining that the US maintains a trade surplus with Brazil.
He reiterated a request for tariff reductions back to their original rate of 10% and the removal of sanctions on certain Brazilian officials.
Trump, expressing focus on economic and trade issues, indicated willingness to continue conversations, suggesting future meetings both in Brazil and the US.
Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin deemed the call better than anticipated, echoing optimism over upcoming negotiations.
Lula extended an invitation for Trump to attend next month's UN climate summit in Belém, Brazil, and proposed meetings during the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
Trump has designated Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead negotiations concerning tariffs, a choice that has elicited mixed reactions within Lula's administration, reflecting on Rubio's alignment with the more ideologically driven elements of Trump’s foreign policy team.
While some within Lula's government are cautious about Rubio's role, preferring a different negotiator, there’s an acknowledgment of the benefit of having a direct link to President Trump.
