Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held a 40-minute phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, during which Putin briefed him on talks with the United States and the latest peace efforts between Russia and Ukraine, the presidential palace in Brazil said.
The leaders also discussed their cooperation in the BRICS group of emerging countries and “discussed the current international political and economic scenario,” according to the statement.
Putin’s Growing Calls With Foreign Leaders
The conversation with Lula is the latest of a flurry of calls between Putin and foreign leaders in recent days ahead of the Russian president’s expected meeting with US President Donald Trump next week.
Putin spoke to the leaders of China and India, both also part of the BRICS group of developing nations, and other presidents from Central Asia and Europe on Friday to brief them on his contacts with the United States about the war in Ukraine.
Lula-Trump Spat
Lula has been in a public spat with Trump since the US imposed a 50% tariff on the imports of Brazilian goods, which Trump linked to an alleged “witch hunt” against his ally and Brazil’s former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. US imports of some Brazilian products, such as orange juice and aircraft, received a lower rate.
Lula told Reuters on Wednesday he planned to call the leaders of the BRICS countries, which also include South Africa, to discuss a joint response to Trump’s tariffs on US imports. The Brazilian leader spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Targeting BRICS
Trump had threatened BRICS nations with additional 10% tariffs last month, as the group gathered for a high-level summit in Rio de Janeiro in July, warning of tougher trade measures unless what he called “unfair practices” were addressed.
Some of the highest tariffs imposed by Trump have been on imports from those countries.
Brazil climbed to the top of the list last month, when Trump tied 50% tariffs on most of the country’s exports to what he called a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro.
On Wednesday, Trump threatened to impose another 25% tariff on Indian imports because of the country’s reliance on Russian oil, which would add to the 25% levies that are already in place.
The 30% tariffs on goods from China and South Africa are also among the highest imposed by Trump, though some Chinese products face additional levies.
(With inputs from Reuters)
