(Oct 25): US President Donald Trump said he expects to meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during his trip to Asia and that he is open to reducing the 50% US tariffs on Brazil.
“Under the right circumstances, sure,” Trump told reporters on Friday aboard Air Force One.
Brazil has been working to arrange the meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit taking place this weekend in Malaysia. Lula is seeking to persuade Trump to roll back tariffs imposed on Brazilian products and sanctions on the country’s Supreme Court justices, government officials, and their families.
“I do hope it happens,” Lula told reporters on Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, ahead of Trump’s arrival. “I came here with the intention that we can find a solution.”
“It all depends on the conversation,” Lula said. “There are no demands from him, and none from me yet. Let’s lay the issues on the table and try to find a solution.”
Trump said he believes the leaders have a scheduled sit-down during their time at the summit. Lula has left his agenda open late on Sunday afternoon for a possible encounter. Trump’s schedule also includes a window with no official commitments around the same time.
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“I am very interested in having this meeting,” Lula told reporters in Indonesia on Friday, before flying to Malaysia. “I am fully prepared to defend Brazil’s interests and to show that the tariffs imposed on Brazil were a mistake.”
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