Organized crime, trade, and Latin America will be on the agenda for the meeting between Lula and Trump.
The government also aims to maintain a good relationship with the United States in a year of elections in Brazil.
247 - Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet in person in March, on a date yet to be determined, to discuss issues considered strategic to their bilateral relationship. The expectation at the Planalto Palace is that the conversation will help organize and strengthen dialogue between the two countries, focusing on public security, trade, and the political situation in Latin America, according to [source missing]. G1.
According to sources within Brazilian diplomacy interviewed by GloboNews, Brazil intends to bring three main issues to the table: the fight against organized crime, the continuation of negotiations on Brazilian products still affected by the tariffs imposed by the United States, and the Latin American scenario. These issues had already been mentioned in the most recent telephone conversation between Lula and Trump, indicating an intention to deepen the dialogue in person.
The Brazilian delegation is expected to include representatives from areas directly involved in the issues being discussed, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, as well as the Federal Police. The trip to Washington aims to give a more concrete character to the negotiations and align positions between the two governments.
In the field of public security, the fight against organized crime occupies a central place. In the last telephone call, Lula reinforced a proposal sent to the U.S. State Department in December 2025 to expand bilateral cooperation. The initiative foresees joint actions in combating money laundering, arms trafficking, freezing the assets of criminal organizations, and exchanging data on financial transactions. According to the Planalto Palace, the signal from the President of the United States was positive regarding the advancement of this agenda.
The Brazilian government believes that security will also play a significant role in the 2026 elections. In this context, sources consider that maintaining a close relationship with Trump could help neutralize any international maneuvers by the far-right that might impact the Brazilian electoral process. The expectation is that the meeting will allow for the more structured launch of a strategic partnership between the two countries in this area.
The situation in Latin America should also be part of the conversation. Diplomatic sources say the topic is recurrent in meetings between the two presidents, as it directly involves the region of common influence and interest. Even so, recent events in Venezuela have increased attention on the subject.
The kidnapping of Nicolás Maduro by US forces on January 3rd generated strong international repercussions. The operation involved elite troops and direct confrontation with Venezuelan forces, but concluded without casualties among the US military. Maduro and his wife were initially taken to a military ship and then to the United States, where they underwent a judicial hearing and pleaded not guilty to the charges. With the president's removal from office, Delcy Rodríguez assumed leadership of the country, deepening the Venezuelan political crisis and amplifying its repercussions on the regional stage.
