Júlia Carneiro

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he and Trump managed to do what had seemed impossible.

Flanked by Brazil and U.S.

flags, they sat down to talk for around 45 minutes in what Lula described as a great meeting.

He said they spoke in a frank and constructive way and agreed that their teams would start bilateral negotiations immediately to find solutions to the U.S.-imposed sanctions and tariffs.

Before the meeting, reporters asked President Trump whether he could lift tariffs against Brazil immediately.

Higher tariffs on Brazilian goods, like coffee and beef, have been pushing up prices in the U.S.

and have led Brazil to seek other markets.

For NPR News, I'm Júlia Carneiro.

Rubio and Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, agreed to meet in Washington soon to discuss both countries' trade and economic relations, following Monday's conversation between President Trump and Brazil's President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

In the call, Lula asked Trump to reduce the 50% tariffs imposed on Brazilian goods and to lift sanctions on Brazilian authorities.

U.S.-Brazil relations had nosedived in the wake of the former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's coup trial, seen by Washington as unjust.

Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.

For NPR News, I'm Júlia Carneiro in Rio de Janeiro.