President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s new phone call with United States President Donald Trump is another sign of the welcome strengthening of relations between the two countries. During the conversation, which lasted 40 minutes, Lula once again called for the abolition of tariffs on Brazilian exports and sanctions imposed on Brazilian authorities, but another topic gained great importance: the fight against organized crime. The background is the threat of a US invasion of Venezuela, the pretext of which is accusations of dictator Nicolas Maduro’s collusion with criminal factions and drug trafficking gangs.
- Editorial: The American move in Venezuela derives from Maduro’s stubbornness in power
Regarding the trade agenda, according to Palacio do Planalto, Lula praised the US decision to remove the 40% additional duties imposed on products such as meat, coffee and fruits, but highlighted that there are still other products whose tariffs must be renegotiated. He expressed his desire to move quickly in the negotiations. Talking about combating organized crime was no less important. According to Planalto, Lula and Trump discussed joint work in the region. Lula stressed the urgent need to strengthen cooperation and pointed to recent measures aimed at financially strangling criminal organizations, some of which operate from abroad.
Trump expressed his willingness to work with Brazil and praised the dialogue with Lula: “We had a very good conversation, and I like him, very good. We had some good meetings, you know, but today we had a very good conversation.” He stated on a social media network that the relationship that emerged after the meeting in the United Nations General Assembly “paved the way for very good dialogue and agreements in the future.” He said he was “impatiently” awaiting a new meeting and conversation. “Many good things will come from this newly formed partnership,” he concluded.
Although Planalto did not mention the discussion between the two about the situation in Venezuela, the topic was inevitable. The crisis in the neighboring country is a fundamental issue for the continent’s security. In recent months, the Americans have increased their military presence in the Caribbean and issued veiled threats to strengthen operations in Venezuelan territory. US forces have attacked ships they say are linked to drug trafficking. Trump and Maduro even spoke on the phone, but there was no understanding.
If Brazil knows how to act diplomatically, it will be able to play a decisive role in defusing this impasse. The channels between PT members and the Venezuelan government are well known, although the relationship has been strained since election fraud kept Maduro in power last year. At the same time, although Lula had difficulty opening a dialogue with Trump, this week’s phone call was a sign that the winds had changed. Winning Trump’s support was one of the successes of his third term. Lula must use his diplomatic talent to maintain peace on the continent, betting on Maduro’s negotiated departure from power with a transition to a democratic system.