Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump had a 30-minute conversation via videoconference on Monday (Oct. 6). During the conversation, the Brazilian leader requested the removal of the 50-percent surcharge imposed by the US government on Brazilian products.
Earlier, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad described the conversation between the two heads of state as “favorable” from an economic point of view.
“In a friendly tone, the two leaders talked for 30 minutes as they remembered the good chemistry they had in New York during the UN General Assembly. Both presidents reiterated the good impression they had of that meeting,” the Planalto presidential palace reported in a statement.
According to the statement, the phone call was initiated by Trump. The two exchanged phone numbers to establish a direct line of communication.
During the conversation, Lula said the contact represents an “opportunity to restore the 201-year-old friendly relations between the two largest democracies in the West.”
He pointed out that Brazil is one of three G20 countries with which the US has a surplus in the balance of goods and services. He then requested the removal of the 50-percent surcharge imposed on domestic products, in addition to the restrictive measures applied against Brazilian authorities.
“President Trump has appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to continue negotiations with vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, and Finance Minister Fernando Haddad,” the Planalto palace went on to state.
The two heads of state agreed to meet in person soon. Lula suggested that the meeting take place during the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia. He reiterated his invitation to Trump to attend COP30 in the Amazon city of Belém and also offered to travel to the US.
