President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Workers’ Party) met with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow on Friday (9). The Brazilian politician criticized President Donald Trump’s tariff policies during a bilateral meeting on Victory Day, which celebrates the defeat of Nazism during the Second World War. BdF is covering the eightieth anniversary from Russia.
“The latest decision the US president announced of unilaterally taxing trade with all countries throws away the great idea of free trade, the strengthening of multilateralism and the respect of countries’ sovereignty we must keep,” said Lula.
Both leaders also recalled the partnership of the two countries within BRICS and the Global South. “We are two big nations on different continents. We are both part of the Global South and we have the chance, at the current historic moment, to make our trade relationship grow.
The Brazilian president stressed that Moscow and Brasilia have a strategic relationship and share many interests.
“This visit aims to fortify and rebuild, with more strength, our strategic partnership. Brazil has political, commercial, scientific and technological interests in Russia. In its turn, Russia probably has many interests in Brazil,” he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the work with the Brazilian leader to strengthen relations between the two countries.
“I fondly remember our conversations, both in Russia and in Brazil. They always took place in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere, in a professional spirit. Largely thanks to personal contacts, we were able to work hard to strengthen relations between our countries,” Putin said.
During talks with Lula, Putin emphasized the development of mutual trade between the two countries, including huge numbers of exports of petroleum products and mineral fertilizers to the Brazilian market.
“Bilateral trade is developing. I would like to mention that Brazil accounts for a significant share of our trade volume with Latin American and Caribbean countries,” Putin said at talks in the Kremlin.
“Russia remains the largest exporter of oil products and mineral fertilizers to the Brazilian market. And Brazil maintains its leading position in Russian imports of food products,” added the head of state.
