:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/YLD34RP5XREHFOJVHPTYHF6MVI.jpg "Lula da Silva received Antony Blinken in the midst of the diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Israel")
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva amid a diplomatic crisis between Brazil and Israel over the war in Gaza. The meeting at the presidential palace in Brasilia was relatively short, lasting less than 45 minutes, and ended without any statements to the press. The two leaders briefly discussed the upcoming US elections in November.
The meeting was anticipated to be tense following controversial statements made by President Lula, who compared the Israeli offensive in Gaza to the Holocaust. Lula’s comments have led to Israel declaring him “persona non grata,” and Brazil recalling its ambassador in Tel Aviv for consultations and summoning the Israeli diplomatic representative to express its dissatisfaction.
The dispute escalated further when Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira accused his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, of lying. The United States, which has military and diplomatic support for Israel, has disagreed with accusations of “genocide” against Israel.
The war in Ukraine and relations with Venezuela are additional points of divergence between Brazil and the United States, making this meeting even more significant. It is the first time Antony Blinken has visited Brazil since his appointment three years ago. The relationship between the United States and Brazil has improved significantly since Lula returned to power in 2023, succeeding the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who was closely aligned with Donald Trump.
Following the meeting with Lula in Brasilia, Blinken is scheduled to travel to Rio de Janeiro to participate in a meeting of G20 foreign ministers this Wednesday and Thursday. The presence of the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, is also expected.
The meeting between Blinken and Lula comes as the US faces tensions with Brazil over Israel, Ukraine, and Venezuela. It is a significant moment for diplomatic relations between the two countries.