In a joint statement, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer reported that they “held very positive conversations about trade and ongoing bilateral issues.” 
Mauro Vieira and US authorities met this Thursday (16), at the White House, in Washington, with the main focus on tariffs imposed by the United States on Brazilian products.
The statement also says that authorities are committed to arranging a meeting between presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump.
“Secretary Rubio, Ambassador Greer and Minister Mauro Vieira agreed to collaborate and conduct discussions on several fronts in the immediate future, in addition to establishing a joint work path. Both parties also agreed to work together to hold a meeting between President Trump and President Lula at the first possible opportunity”, says the note, released in Portuguese and English.
No date or location for the meeting between the presidents was announced.. Initially, the expectation was that the meeting could take place during the Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), in Malaysia, at the end of October.
However, as the Brazilian chancellor reported in an interview with journalists, the presidents’ agendas must determine the most appropriate time for the meeting.
The meeting between Vieira and Rubio marks the resumption of dialogue between the two countries after months of diplomatic tension.
Relations between Brazil and the United States have been going through a period of instability since the Trump administration decided to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian products. The measure was justified by the White House as a response to an alleged “politicization” of the Brazilian Judiciary and the conviction of former president Jair Bolsonaro for an attempted coup d’état.
In addition to the tariff, Washington also applied financial and consular sanctions to Brazilian authorities, including Federal Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes. The actions were seen in Brasília as political retaliation.
The meeting between Vieira and Rubio is the first high-level meeting since Trump resumed the Presidency of the United States in January. The meeting signals an effort towards rapprochement between the two countries, which began after a brief conversation between Lula and Trump during the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN), in September, in New York.
* With information from Wellton Máximo
