Lula will press Trump in conversation to find out what the US plans for Latin America

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) stated this Sunday (22), during a press conference in India, that he intends to discuss directly with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, the role of the North American country on the international stage, especially in South America. According to Lula, it is necessary to assess whether Washington’s actions will be based on cooperation or diplomatic and military pressure on other nations.

In the statement, the Brazilian president cited Trump’s recent statements about Iran as an example of a stance that, in his opinion, needs to be revised. “I want to discuss with them what the role of the United States is in South America. What is their role? Is it to help or to threaten? Now it is threatening Iran, in other words, we need to put a stop to this”, he stated.

Lula’s speeches came just days after Trump mentioned the possibility of adopting new measures in relation to the Middle Eastern country. On Thursday (19), the North American president declared: “We may have to take a step forward, or maybe not. Maybe we will make a deal. You will find out in the next 10 days, probably”, during a Peace Council meeting on the Gaza Strip.

According to Lula, the face-to-face conversation with Trump should take place in the second half of March, in Washington. The meeting was agreed after telephone contact between the two leaders, although the date has not yet been officially confirmed by the authorities of both countries. The president stated that he intends to use the meeting to reinforce direct negotiation as a central instrument of diplomacy.

“I really believe in something called negotiation. You know this story of chemistry between me and Trump, I really believe that we, human beings, our relationship is really chemical. Touching hands, looking into each other’s eyes, being able to talk directly to people, that you can solve any problem. I really believe in that. In fact, I’ve been doing this all my life. And I want to continue doing that and I want to have this meeting with Trump for that reason,” he declared.

Lula added that he considers personal dialogue to be a relevant factor in building international agreements and stated that he intends to discuss all topics considered strategic for the bilateral relationship. Among the issues mentioned are economic cooperation, the climate agenda and access to critical minerals and rare earths, inputs considered essential for the energy transition and the technology industry.

“We are two 80-year-old men, so we can’t play around with democracy. We have to take it very seriously. And I said on the phone to President Trump, we need to hold each other’s hands, look each other in the eye, so we can see what we want between Brazil and the United States”, he stated.

The Brazilian president highlighted that he does not intend to establish thematic restrictions for the conversation. “And there is no veto, there is nothing prohibited at the negotiation table. We will put all topics on the negotiation table. If it is to combat the organized climate, we are in it to combat it. If it is to partner with Brazil, if it is to be able to explore critical minerals as long as the transformation process takes place in Brazil, let’s talk”, he said.

The mention of critical minerals reflects the growing interest of governments and companies in this sector, considered strategic for global production chains. These resources are used in the manufacture of batteries, electronic equipment, wind turbines and other technologies associated with the low-carbon economy.

The eventual meeting between Lula and Trump takes place in a context of geopolitical rearrangement and commercial and technological disputes between global powers. For the Brazilian government, direct dialogue with Washington is part of the strategy of maintaining open channels with different poles of power, while at the same time seeking to expand commercial and political partnerships with countries from different regions.

If confirmed, the meeting in Washington will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since the beginning of the current Brazilian presidential term and could define priorities for the bilateral agenda for the coming years, including trade, technological cooperation and diplomatic positioning on sensitive international issues.