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 stated on social media that they had a very good telephone call.
This marks the first formal conversation between the two since their brief encounter at the United Nations General Assembly last month.
Relations had been icy since Trump raised tariffs this summer to 50% on some Brazilian goods in response to the coup-plot trial of Lula's predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula had previously accused Trump of foreign interference and behaving like an emperor. However, the recent call was noted for its friendly tone and lasted about half an hour, during which both leaders reminisced about their positive engagement in New York.
Lula aimed to restore friendly relations between the two largest Western democracies and highlighted the US’s trade surplus with Brazil. He requested that tariffs revert to their original rate of 10% and that sanctions on certain Brazilian officials be lifted.
Both exchanged contact information for direct communication.
Trump revealed on his platform that their discussion primarily centered on economic and trade issues, emphasizing plans for further talks in the near future in both Brazil and the United States.
Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin characterized the conversation as better than expected and expressed optimism regarding future bilateral negotiations.
Lula also invited Trump to the upcoming UN climate summit in Belém, suggested a meeting during the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, and expressed willingness to visit the US.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been appointed by Trump to handle negotiations with Brazilian officials, although some within Lula's administration have voiced preference for different negotiators.
