Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his Brazilian counterpart agreed to meet in the coming weeks, according to people familiar with the matter, after President Donald Trump’s decision to grant the nation’s defeated right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro refuge inflamed tensions.
Rubio and Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira spoke briefly in person on Friday on the sidelines of a Group of 20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing a private conversation. The pair agreed to meet again before the G-20 summit in December in Miami, the people said.
The American president is due to host the summit at his Trump National Doral Golf Club. The ministerial meetings this week in Georgia are meant to prepare the way for that event.
The State Department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday night. Brazil’s foreign ministry declined to comment.
Trump earlier this week allowed Bolsonaro to come to the US after he lost Sunday’s election to Brazil’s leftist leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro faces at least two federal investigations in Brazil over allegations of money laundering.
Bolsonaro, who was granted a visa by the State Department, declared on Wednesday that he would lead opposition to Lula from the US and alleged electoral fraud, without providing evidence.
Trump said he would allow the defeated candidate to come to the US because Brazil’s election was “terrible” and “rigged” — and because he knows his father, Jair Bolsonaro, “very well.” The elder Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who was president from 2019 to 2023, is serving a 27-year sentence for his role in plotting a coup attempt after the 2022 election to prevent Lula from taking office.
Last year, the US imposed aggressive tariffs on Brazil in an effort to help the patriarch avoid prison. Since then, relations between the two countries have been choppy, although they have made some progress on the trade front.
Separately, Brazilian authorities summoned Argentina’s top envoy in the country to explain President Javier Milei’s role in helping Bolsonaro flee Brazil. He crossed into the neighboring country on Tuesday night before boarding a US-bound flight.
This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.