Lula and Macron discuss agreement with the European Union, war and defense partnership

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron met, late this Friday morning (23), to talk about strategic partnerships between the two countries and a solution to the obstacles to the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union.

French government sources heard by EFE did not detail the subjects of the meeting, but indicated that Russia’s war against Ukraine and a partnership in defense were also mentioned in the meeting.

Lula was received by Macron with all honors at the Élysée Palace, headquarters of the French presidency. The meeting lasted for about an hour and a half over lunch.

Shortly before the two met individually, Lula had criticized Paris in the plenary of the Summit for the New Global Financial Pact due to obstacles and what he classified as “threats”, in reference to the EU’s environmental requirements.

“The additional letter that was made by the EU does not allow an agreement to be made. We are going to make the answer, and we are going to send the answer, but we need to start discussing. It is not possible that we have a strategic partner and there is an additional letter that threatens a strategic partner”, criticized Lula in his speech at the summit.

The president thus referred to the device proposed by the EU as a condition for the agreement that provides for sanctions in case of non-compliance with environmental requirements.

The war in Ukraine, in which Brazil seeks an equidistant position between Kiev and Moscow, was also on the table at the meeting between Lula and Macron, who are notoriously in tune.

The French presidency informed that a strategic partnership in Defense was discussed. In this sense, Lula received at the Intercontinental hotel, where he is staying, the president of the French nuclear submarine manufacturer Naval Group, Pierre Eric Pommellet. No details of that meeting were released.

With Macron, the Brazilian president also spoke about cultural exchange and climate change.

Lula’s frenetic agenda also includes meetings with the leader of the French left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon; the mayor of Paris, socialist Anne Hidalgo; and the President of the Republic of Congo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso.

The Brazilian head of state will end his visit this evening with a meeting requested by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman.