Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has landed in Paris to begin a state visit scheduled until June 9, with trade and climate as hot topics on his agenda.

The trip marks the first such diplomatic engagement by a Brazilian head of state since former president Dilma Rousseff travelled to France in 2012.

“This visit comes at a very positive moment for bilateral relations, marked by closer cooperation across several areas. During his stay in France, President Lula will hold several meetings with Emmanuel Macron to discuss relevant aspects of the bilateral agenda, as well as international issues of mutual interest, including the need for global governance reform, the defense of multilateralism, the fight against extremism, and preparations for COP30,” said Ambassador Flávio Goldman, as quoted by Agencia Brasil.

Speaking to Le Monde ahead of his arrival, Lula dismissed US President Donald Trump's threats to impose high tariffs on countries abandoning the dollar in trade.

"Trump's threats don't scare anyone. We will act in the interests of our countries and fight for fairer international trade," he said.

The Brazilian leader, who described his relationship with President Macron as "special" on a personal level, stressed that asking Washington for permission to choose currencies for trade transactions is "out of the question", while noting Trump was elected "to govern the US, not the entire world."

Strategic agenda focuses on climate and trade

Lula will hold private meetings with Macron and participate in the third UN Conference on the Ocean in Nice alongside at least 60 heads of state.

Central topics include climate cooperation, the blue economy and global governance reform.

Around 20 bilateral agreements are planned in areas including vaccines, public safety, science, technology and education.

A new joint declaration on climate change and announcement of a decarbonised maritime corridor between Brazil and France are expected as COP30 preparations for Brazil this November.

Crucially, the visit is set to consolidate political rapprochement amid fraught negotiations over the EU-Mercosur trade agreement.

Despite resistance within European agricultural sectors, Brazilian diplomatic sources indicate Lula will seek to "unlock the last obstacles" with Macron's support, despite France's powerful farming sector opposition to the deal inked last December, which would create the world's largest free trade area. 

However, this could emerge as a point of friction as the French president has spearheaded efforts to form a blocking minority within the European Union to halt the implementation of the EU-Mercosur agreement, citing unfair competition and concerns over environmental standards.

"I will always defend the French agricultural model, so that our farmers continue to produce and feed us, as they know so well how to do, with heart," Macron stated earlier this year.

Economic and BRICS positioning

Lula will participate in the Brazil-France Economic Forum during his visit, after bilateral trade reached $9.1bn in 2024, up 8% year on year, with France being Brazil's third-largest investor with stock exceeding $66bn.

Regarding Trump's trade duties, Lula noted Brazil faces only a 10% baseline tariff whilst others face more severe restrictions.

"I've instructed my ministers to negotiate as much as possible, and if that fails, we are prepared to apply reciprocity in customs duties," he said.

Lula urged against portraying BRICS, whose rotating presidency is held by Brazil this year, as opposed to anyone, emphasising the upcoming Rio summit on July 6-7 won't focus on responding to US actions.

"For too long, Global South countries have been seen as merely developing nations that don't cause trouble. That era is over. BRICS now accounts for 39% of global GDP and more than half the world's population," he added.

Touching on his controversial relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he visited on May 9 to attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Lula told Le Monde he went "out of respect for a country that lost 26mn lives during World War II" and due to the strong trade ties between Russia and Brazil.

Yet he conceded that "Brazil condemned, from the start, Russia's violation of Ukraine's territorial integrity and has been standing for peace for three years. I told Putin it was time to end the war; I advised him to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul. And I regret that he did not go."