Heading off to the United States today, Brazilian President Lula da Silva affirmed in a tweet that “discussing actions for peace in the world” is among the topics he wishes to discuss with President Biden when they meet on Friday. The Foreign Ministry’s announcement likewise reported that both leaders will discuss “the leading questions on the international agenda, such as peace and security and the G20.”
Lula’s insistence on a diplomatic, not military resolution of the Ukraine-Russia conflict — “no one needs to be defeated. Humanity wins with peace,” he tweeted on Feb. 2 — is far from U.S. policy, which remains that of securing the strategic defeat of Russia.
The other agenda items cited by the Brazilian Foreign Ministry cohere with what the US media say will be on the U.S. agenda for the meeting, involving the usual narratives of today: renewing U.S.-Brazil relations, defense of democracy; combating hate speech and disinformation; promoting human rights and fighting climate change; trade and investments, integration of supply chains, the energy transition, etc.
Lula is bringing with him his Foreign, Finance, Environment, and Racial Equality Ministers; the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services; the head of the Senate; and the head of the Presidential Special Advisory Office. Besides his meeting with Biden, he has meetings scheduled with Sen. Bernie Sanders, unnamed Democratic Party members of Congress, and representatives of the AFL-CIO on Friday, and will return to Brazil on Saturday.
