March 28, 2024
How has the relationship between Brazil and the US been since Lula took office?

How has the relationship between Brazil and the US been since Lula took office?

  • Alessandra Correa
  • From Washington (USA) to BBC News Brazil

Lula and Biden montage

debt, Getty Images/AFP

photo caption,

After a recent cooling, relations between Brazil and the United States are expected to gain new impetus under Lula.

After a recent cooling, relations between Brazil and the United States are expected to gain new momentum under the government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT), who takes office on January 1, 2023.

Before Lula took office, US National Security Adviser Jack Sullivan traveled to Brazil and extended an invitation from US President Joe Biden to the Brazilian White House.

“I look forward to speaking with President Biden and deepening the relationship between our countries,” Lula said after meeting with Sullivan in early December. Due to internal commitments, the visit to Washington was delayed until after the inauguration.

“It’s an important first step, and it’s more than code. But code is appropriate. It shows the importance the United States attaches to Brazil,” says Melvin Levitsky, a former ambassador to Brasilia from 1994 to 1998. He is currently Professor of International Politics at the University of Michigan.