President Lula holds telephone conversation with President of France, Emmanuel Macron

This Wednesday morning, August 20, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva telephoned the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. During the call, which lasted almost one hour, they discussed issues on the global and bilateral agendas. The two leaders also reaffirmed their support for multilateralism and free trade.

President Lula repudiated the political use of commercial tariffs against Brazil and reported on the measures adopted by his administration to protect Brazilian workers and companies. He also informed President Macron about the appeal presented by Brazil to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the United States’ unjustified tariffs. Although he does not recognize the legitimacy of the unilateral instruments used by the North American country, such as Section 301, President Lula commented on the clarifications presented by his administration.

Brazil will continue to work towards the conclusion of new commercial agreements and opening markets for its domestic production. In this sense, President Lula also highlighted the conclusion of the MERCOSUR- EFTA Agreement and the priority given to negotiations with new partners, such as Japan, Vietnam, and Indonesia.

Macron and Lula pledged to finalize talks aimed at signing the long-awaited Mercosur–European Union trade agreement later this semester, during Brazil’s presidency of the bloc.

The leaders of France and Brazil reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation with developing nations and the Global South, advocating trade grounded in multilateral rules. In this context, President Lula said that defending multilateralism will be one of the central themes of the BRICS Virtual Summit scheduled for September.

On climate change, Lula declared that COP30 will be “the COP of Truth,” where it will become clear which countries truly trust in science. He pointed to the ambition of Brazil’s nationally determined targets and urged the European Union and its member states to set goals that meet the scale of the global climate crisis. The French president reaffirmed his support for hosting the summit in Belém and confirmed his attendance.

The two leaders also exchanged their views on the peace negotiations in Ukraine. President Macron praised the role of the Friends of Peace Group, led by Brazil and China. They agreed to continue the dialogue about the conflict. President Lula expressed concern about the rise in military spending across the world, while around 700 million people are still starving. In that context, he noted Brazil’s removal from the FAO Hunger Map and called for the reform of multilateral institutions to ensure a more representative and democratic global governance.

In the bilateral field, both presidents agreed to deepen cooperation in defense matters.