Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wil meet with President Donald Trump on Thursday in Washington., File Photo by Isaac Fontana/EPA
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday amid growing diplomatic and trade tensions between the two countries.
Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin confirmed the visit, expressing confidence the meeting could strengthen what he described as a positive rapport between the two leaders.
“I hope this good understanding that has developed between President Lula and President Trump can be further strengthened for the benefit of both great countries, two great Western democracies,” Alckmin said, according to Agencia Brasil.
The visit comes after tensions escalated in late April when the United States expelled a Brazilian federal police liaison stationed in Miami, accusing him of attempting to bypass formal extradition procedures linked to the detention of a former intelligence chief under ex-President Jair Bolsonaro. Brazil responded with reciprocal measures targeting U.S. agents.
Alckmin said the meeting is significant given the economic relationship between the two countries, noting the United States is Brazil’s third-largest trading partner after China and the European Union, and its leading foreign investor.
He said discussions are expected to include tariffs, major technology companies, rare earth elements and other strategic minerals, of which Brazil holds the world’s second-largest reserves after China.
The Brazilian government also plans to discuss cooperation on organized crime, according to Brazilian journalist Gerson Camarotti report. Officials are seeking to pre-empt potential moves by a Trump administration to designate Brazilian criminal groups as terrorist organizations — a step that could trigger stricter U.S. measures.
Relations between Brazil and the United States have fluctuated in recent years.
In 2025, Trump imposed higher tariffs on Brazilian goods, citing what he described as political persecution against Bolsonaro after his conviction over an attempted coup following the 2022 election. Months later, Trump rolled back some tariffs as ties with Lula improved, citing positive personal chemistry between the leaders.
Lula has been openly critical of U.S. foreign policy, particularly regarding Cuba and the Middle East. He has described the U.S. embargo on Cuba as a “global disgrace” and has opposed any form of military intervention on the island.
In an interview with El País, Lula said Trump “has no right to wake up in the morning and threaten a country,” arguing Washington risks overstepping by relying on its military and economic power to dictate global rules without respecting other nations’ sovereignty.
He also defended the need to reform the United Nations to prevent individual leaders from acting as “emperors of the world” based on fear rather than respect.
