Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva asked US President Donald Trump to remove punitive tariffs on Brazilian goods and sanctions on officials, in the first formal discussion between the leaders following months of tension.

The call, conducted via video conference on October 6, lasted 30 minutes and was described by the Brazilian presidency as “friendly.” It followed a brief encounter late last month on the sidelines of UNGA.

“In a friendly tone, the two leaders spoke for 30 minutes, during which they recalled the good chemistry they had in New York during the UN General Assembly. The two presidents reiterated the positive impression they had of that meeting,” said a statement from Planalto Palace.

Lula requested Trump “withdraw the 40% tariff [on top of the baseline 10%] on domestic products and the restrictive measures applied against Brazilian officials, pointing out that Brazil is one of three G20 countries with which the US has a surplus in the balance of goods and services. Despite Trump's false claim that the US runs a trade deficit with Brazil, US government data shows a surplus of $410bn in the trade of goods and services with Brazil over the past 15 years.

The conversation also included Brazilian officials Vice President and Minister of Development Geraldo Alckmin, Chancellor Mauro Vieira, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, and senior advisers.

Lula and Trump exchanged contact details and agreed to meet in person, with sources suggesting a potential encounter at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia later this month.

The Brazilian leader also invited Trump to attend COP-30 in Belém, and expressed willingness to travel to the US.

“We will be having further discussions, and will get together in the not too distant future, both in Brazil and the United States,” Trump posted on Truth Social following the meeting. “I enjoyed the call — Our Countries will do very well together!”

Finance Minister Haddad called the call “positive,” though details of Brazil’s negotiating stance remain closely held.

Bilateral relations deteriorated sharply after Brazil's Supreme Court last month convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro, a close ideological ally of Trump, of attempting a coup to overturn his 2022 election loss, sentencing him to 27 years in prison on charges including armed criminal conspiracy, attempted abolition of democratic rule, and attempted coup d'état.

Ahead of the final verdict, the White House slapped 50% tariffs on Brazilian products in July and sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Magnitsky Act, calling the prosecution a "witch hunt" and declaring a national emergency over what it described as Brazil's threat to US companies and free speech.