Socialist President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva landed in France on Sunday to participate in this week’s 52nd G7 Summit amid expectations of a possible new encounter between Lula and President Donald Trump right as the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) proposed new tariffs on Brazil over its unfair trading practices.
Although Brazil is not a G7 member, the South American nation is a frequently an invited participant at the bloc’s summits. The 2026 G7 Summit, hosted this year in Evian, France, will mark Lula’s tenth participation at a G7 Summit throughout the three terms he has served as president of Brazil.
Lula, despite being a recurrent guest at the event, has questioned the continued existence of the G7 group, deeming it as a “party for the rich” and calling for the broader G20 group to replace the G7 altogether.
Lula announced through a social media post Sunday afternoon:
At the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, I am leaving for France this afternoon. There, for the tenth time, I will represent Brazil at the G7 Summit. I wish my colleague [Vice President] Geraldo Alckmin, who assumes the presidency until our return, all the best in his work.
According to GloboNews, the Brazilian government is working toward the possibility of Lula meeting with President Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit, even though no such meeting has been scheduled in advance and no side has issued a formal meeting request.
A prospective — but at present uncertain — meeting between Lula and Trump would likely address a new round of trade-related tensions between their countries. U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer announced recently that the Trump administration is evaluating imposing another round of 25-percent tariffs on Brazilian goods after the USTR determined that Brazil is engaging in unfair trading practices hurting U.S. commerce.
Lula’s schedule at the G7 Summit reportedly has the Brazilian president speak twice, during which he plans to convey at least “two messages to the wealthy nations.” Aides to the Brazilian president told the outlet Metrópoles that Lula is expected to “highlight the decline in development aid and call on wealthy countries to provide financial support to poorer nations” during his first speech, scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, during a session on international partnerships.
Per the sources cited by Metrópoles, Lula’s second speech, slated for Wednesday, June 17, will focus on “sustainable work” and address the subject of U.S. tariffs. Lula will reportedly “criticize unilateralism and protectionism and will reiterate his call for governance reform in international organizations — including the World Trade Organization (WTO).”
“The president, however, should adopt a less aggressive and more diplomatic tone. The idea is to take a firm stance on the issue without jeopardizing the ongoing negotiations with the Americans,” Metrópoles wrote.
According to CNN Brasil, Brazil’s Planalto presidential palace decided not to request a meeting between Lula and Trump because “there is no reason to do so,” since the two heads of state met at the White House in May. While a meeting between Lula and Trump similar to the one they held in Malaysia in October 2025 is, according to CNN Brasil, “all but ruled out,” the Brazilian government remains open to the possibility of a “casual, one-off conversation” such as the one in September 2025 during the United Nations General Assembly.
Sources from Brazil’s Planalto presidential palace told the outlet Poder 360 that they consider a meeting between Lula and Trump to have “little practical effect at this moment” as negotiations between the two sides are presently going through technical channels and because they already met in May. The sources also affirmed that the Brazilian government believes that “a public confrontation would heighten tensions during negotiations between the two countries.”
The state-owned news agency Agência Brasil reported last week that the Brazilian government believes that it is “possible, although difficult” to reach a compromise tariff agreement that can avoid the proposed 25 percent tariffs before the USTR’s July 15 deadline.
A prospective new meeting between Trump and Lula in France during the G7 Summit this week would also come weeks after the United States designated the highly dangerous Brazilian gangs Comando Vermelho (Red Command) and Primeiro Comando da Capital (First Capital Command, or PCC) Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs).
The designations, which the Brazilian government has fiercely opposed, were announced after President Trump met with Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro. Sen. Bolsonaro is running for president in the upcoming October 2026 election, in which Lula is seeking to be reelected for a fourth term. Lula suggested this month that the Bolsonaro family should be “hanged” for meeting with Trump and requesting the terrorist designation of the deadly gangs.
In addition to the tensions derived from the USTR’s proposed 25 percent tariffs on Brazil, the Brazilian government is also in an uncomfortable position with the European Union after the bloc imposed a ban on Brazilian meat products that will go into effect on September 3. EU regulators issued the ban in response to Brazilian meat producers using antibiotics to stimulate growth contrary to EU food safety regulations. According to Agência Brasil, the EU ban on Brazilian meat was confirmed this month.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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