Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he expects to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Malaysia this weekend, with discussions likely to include a range of topics—from trade
tensions to Washington’s recent military actions against alleged drug shipments from Venezuela.
Brazil has been pushing to arrange the meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. Lula hopes to convince Trump to lift tariffs on Brazilian exports and sanctions targeting Brazil’s Supreme Court justices and their families.
“I’m very interested in having this meeting,” Lula told reporters in Indonesia before departing for Malaysia. “I’m fully prepared to defend Brazil’s interests and to show that the tariffs imposed on Brazil were a mistake.”
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump is also open to meeting Lula. Both leaders have left time in their schedules late Sunday afternoon for a possible sit-down.
Lula criticized the Trump administration’s anti-drug operations against Venezuela, which have included military strikes on suspected trafficking vessels. “You don’t say you’re going to kill people,” Lula said. “You have to arrest them, put them on trial, and punish them according to the law. That’s the least that’s expected from a head of state.”
If the meeting occurs, Lula said there will be “no vetoes” on discussion topics. “Both sides will be free to say what they want and hear what they may not want,” he added.
Beyond Venezuela, the agenda could also cover U.S. interests in critical minerals, online sports betting regulations, and ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine. Photo by Biblioteca (BCN) Congreso Nacional de Chile from Valparaíso, Chile, Wikimedia commons.
