Joe Biden and Brazilian President ‘Lula’ meet to talk climate change and protect the Amazon
WASHINGTON – He has declared himself a trade unionist and has promised to help the middle class – that is, in Brazil.
And now he’s meeting with America’s very own trade unionist.
President Joe Biden will hold his first bilateral meeting at the White House on Friday with his newly elected counterpart, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
It is the first meeting between the two leaders in their current positions. As vice president, Biden first met Lula – who was then president – in Brazil in 2009.
The meeting comes a month later Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro attacked several buildings in Brazil’s capital last month, including the building where Brazil’s Congress meets, in retaliation for Brazil’s election results.
What’s on the agenda?
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Democracy: After Brazil faced its own attack on several government buildings, mirroring the January 6, 2021 uprising at the US Capitol, securing democracy in the region is a key priority for the two leaders. Biden, who was traveling to Mexico at the time of the attack, condemned the assault.
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Climate change: The two leaders will discuss combating the climate crisis and efforts to save the Amazon rainforest, as Lula has relaunched the Amazon Foundation, which allows other countries to donate money to fight deforestation and promote sustainable development in Brazil. A senior administration official told reporters that John Kerry, the US presidential special envoy for climate change, will make a follow-up visit to Brazil after Lula’s visit to Washington.
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Russia and Ukraine war: While Lula has been against sending weapons to Ukraine, Biden and the Brazilian president are set to discuss the conflict.
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G-20: As Brazil hosts the G-20 summit next year, Biden and Lula will discuss the priorities and agenda of the meeting// that brings together the world’s top leaders.
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Immigration: Biden and Lula will also discuss managing migration from the region, as well as how to address humanitarian and security concerns in Haiti. Brazil has a significant Haitian population.
Takeaways
The stakes are high for Lula, who is trying to reconstruct relations with key world leaders after his predecessor’s nationalist policies that isolated Brazil on the foreign stage.
“Lula understands that to establish this positioning in a world where there is a new approach to foreign policy, he has to inaugurate with Biden,” said Thiago de Aragão, a senior fellow for the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International . Studies.
The Brazilian president hopes to use environmental diplomacy, such as protecting the Amazon rainforest, to raise the country’s standing in the world.
Biden has long made addressing climate change a key policy of his administration.
But tensions between the two leaders may rise when it comes to the war between Ukraine and Russia. Lula has previously said that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy should have done more to negotiate with Russia to end the war.
A senior administration official sidestepped Lula’s comments, saying that while the United States and Brazil may not agree on all issues, they agree to ensure peace in the region and the two will try to come together when discussing the war.
Who is the president of Brazil?
Lula previously served two terms as president from 2003 to 2010 and is the first Brazilian president to be elected to a third term.
He was locked in a close election campaign with Bolsonaro, with Lula getting 51% of the vote in last year’s run-off. Bolsonaro, the former president and his supporters raised questions about the fairness and accuracy of the voting system.
Lula previously served 18 months in prison on corruption charges that his supporters said were concocted by opponents. But the country’s Supreme Court overturned the charges, allowing Lula to seek office again.
The elephant in the room: Bolsonaro
A controversial figure hangs over the meeting between Biden and Lula: Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who has been compared to former President Donald Trump and even dubbed the Trump of the Tropics, is currently residing in Florida and has applied for a six-month visa to stay in the United States.
Bolsonaro traveled to the United States in late December, about a week before his supporters rioted in Brasilia and attacked capital buildings in January.
Brazil’s Supreme Court is currently investigating whether he helped instigate or organize the unrest.
Cast: Josh Meyer and David Jackson
Reach Rebecca Morin on Twitter @RebeccaMorin_
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden will talk climate in a meeting with Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva
