Lula opts for a direct and relaxed tone in his meeting with Trump
A meeting between Lula and the US president is expected to take place in Malaysia during the ASEAN summit, focusing on diplomacy and trade relations.
247 - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) plans to adopt a frank, direct and relaxed posture in the meeting he will have with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, scheduled for this Sunday (26), in Malaysia. The bilateral meeting will take place during the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
According to information from CNN Brazil, The expectation is that the meeting will take place in the late afternoon, Kuala Lumpur local time, which corresponds to the morning in Brasília. The Brazilian government's preferred format is for Lula and Trump to initially speak privately, only later expanding the dialogue to include their respective presidential teams. However, the format of the meeting is still under negotiation between the two countries.
Meeting preparations and format
If aides are included in the hearing, Brazil should be represented by Ministers Mauro Vieira (Foreign Affairs), Alexandre Silveira (Mines and Energy), Carlos Fávaro (Agriculture), and the Deputy Chief Advisor for International Affairs, Audo Faleiro. The Brazilian proposal is that any topic can be discussed, except for matters related to national sovereignty.
Furthermore, Lula is expected to make himself available to act as a mediator in any potential dialogues between the United States and Venezuela. The Brazilian president also intends to offer support in negotiations involving Colombia, should there be interest from both parties.
Lula's diplomatic style
The decision to maintain a more spontaneous approach is based on Lula's previous experiences with Trump. The president assessed that the "open and spontaneous" style adopted in New York, during a brief meeting and later in a phone call, had a positive effect. Therefore, he intends to repeat the formula.
Government aides say Lula feels more comfortable in negotiations when he adopts this relaxed tone. In contrast, at the meeting with the President of Argentina, Javier Milei, during last year's G20, Lula opted for a cold posture, which resulted in a tense meeting—a style that, according to sources, does not please the Workers' Party leader.
Strategic objective
With this meeting, Lula hopes to consolidate the process of "political decontamination" of relations between Brazil and the United States, paving the way for negotiations focused on trade and the lifting of sanctions imposed on Brazilian officials.
