Trump meets Brazil's Lula in Malaysia, predicts ‘pretty good deals’

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said he hopes to strike deals with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during their meeting in Malaysia. “I think we should be able to make some pretty good deals for both countries,” Trump said.

Lula also expressed optimism, saying, “There’s no reason for having any other kind of conflict between Brazil and the United States,” and added that he had a written agenda to discuss with Trump. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Following their encounter, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira described the meeting as positive, noting that Trump had instructed officials to begin bilateral negotiations. “We will establish a negotiation schedule and identify the sectors to talk about so we can move forward,” Vieira said, adding that Brazil requested a suspension of tariffs during the talks.

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In August, Trump raised tariffs on most Brazilian goods from 10% to 50%, linking the move to what he called a “witch hunt” against Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro. Lula had called the hike a “mistake,” pointing to a $410 billion US trade surplus with Brazil over 15 years.

The higher US tariffs have reshaped the global beef market, driving up prices in the US and shifting trade through countries like Mexico, while Brazilian exports to China continue to grow.