First Lady Janja Lula da Silva will have a meeting with Jill Biden, wife of American President Joe Biden, during the visit of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to Washington this Friday (10). As the two leaders enter the Oval Office, the two first ladies head to another room in the White House for tea.
The Brazilian entourage arrives in the American capital at 4:10 pm this Thursday (9). In addition to Janja, ministers Mauro Vieira (Foreign Affairs), Fernando Haddad (Finance), Marina Silva (Environment) and Anielle Franco (Racial Equality) are also accompanying the PT candidate, in addition to special advisor Celso Amorim. Also traveling are the secretary of the Ministry of Economic Development Márcio Elias Rosa and Senator Jaques Wagner.
The agenda in the US has been treated as a meeting for the resumption of relations, after a period in which Biden and Jair Bolsonaro (PL) lived in power coldly for most of the time. So there is no expectation of big announcements. Unlike the last presidential visits to Washington, such as those by Emmanuel Macron (France) and Volodimir Zelenski (Ukraine), there is no forecast for a press conference by Biden and Lula after the meeting or even a joint statement.
On the agenda of the two presidents is the defense of democracy, human rights and the environment, which includes the indigenous issue and the Yanomami crisis, according to the Brazilian government. Biden must also address the War in Ukraine with Lula, even though the PT has reiterated that he will not take part in the armed conflict. Thus, the topic should circulate on the agenda of food and energy security, in the midst of rising fuel and food prices worldwide since the beginning of the Russian invasion.
On the economic agenda, the presidents should discuss the integration of the semiconductor production chain, at a time when the US closes the siege to the chip market in China.
Lula will stay at the Blair House, the US government residence where foreign leaders stay. The Brazilian president stated that he preferred to stay in a hotel, but security issues were taken into account, due to the aggressiveness of some Bolsonaro supporters and the possibility of demonstrations.
At Blair House, the security system does not allow any type of non-peaceful protest, and access to the square where the residence is located is restricted during visits by foreign delegations.
At the venue, the PT candidate will receive US Senator Bernie Sanders in the morning and will meet with Democratic Party deputies soon after. In the afternoon, he participates in a meeting with representatives of the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations), the largest trade union center in the country. Afterwards, he will be received by Biden at the White House. He returns to Brazil on Saturday (11).
Although the Brazilian government has been announcing that Lula’s visit to Washington takes place in the year in which relations between Brazil and the USA complete 200 years, the American embassy states, in an official text, that the White House only recognized Brazilian independence in 1824, when the then president, James Monroe, received José Silvestre Rebello as chargé d’affaires in the USA.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
