Summit of the Americas: Cold and distant meeting between Joe Biden and Jair Bolsonaro who did not mitigate the differences

In one of the most high-profile bilateral deals at the Summit of the Americas, North American President Joe Biden met his Brazilian colleague, Jair Bolsonaro, for the first time this Thursday in a meeting preceded by strong crosses and controversiesyes The meeting was cold and, as a sign of tension, they did not shake hands for the photo.

The head of the White House had his first meeting with the leader of Brazil – they had never spoken on the phone before – as part of the continental meeting in Los Angeles and which brings together most of the leaders of the region, with some sensational absences. such as Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua (who were not invited) and Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Bolivia and some Caribbean, which did not travel because they criticized exclusions.

The meeting was arranged during a visit by Biden’s envoy to the Summit, former Senator Christopher Dodd, who traveled to Brasilia weeks ago to try and persuade Bolsonaro to go to Los Angeles. The Brazilian leader was reluctant to attend the leaders’ meeting because he has a strained relationship with Biden and, furthermore, he claimed to have been involved in the presidential election campaign that pitted him against Lula da Silva in October.

This Thursday was the first meeting between leaders since Biden took office in January 2021 and tried to smooth out the tension between the two.

Bolsonaro, a great admirer and ally of former President Donald Trump, was one of the last heads of state in the world to recognize Biden’s victory in the last election, in which Trump was defeated despite the claims made by the tycoon – never proven – of electoral fraud.

Furthermore, the Biden administration, which has put the fight against climate change at the top of its agenda, he criticized the Amazon deforestation policy. Brazil concentrates much of the Amazonian territory and Bolsonaro is in favor of the commercial exploitation of that lung of the planet, a position criticized by environmentalists and the White House.

President Bolsonaro began “we have a lot in common. For example, we love freedom, we are democratic, we share the same values ​​and we want the good of our people and peace in the world”.

He then said of the Amazon: “Brazil is a gigantic country with territorial proportions among the largest in the world, we have a wealth in the heart of Brazil, our Amazon, which is larger than Western Europe”.

“With richness and biodiversity, mineral wealth, clean water and a source of oxygen. Sometimes we feel threatened by our sovereignty in that area, but Brazil retains its territory very well. Two thirds of Brazil are preserved,” he continued. “We could soon be the largest exporter of clean energy through green hydrogen.”

“Today the world, I dare say, depends a lot on Brazil for its survival,” he said.

The leaders met after the Summit Leaders’ Plenary. They sat at a safe distance (the Brazilian is reluctant to get vaccinated), Biden welcomed him, but they didn’t shake hands at least in front of the cameras.

As always, football served to break the ice. The American told the Brazilian that he had been to his country twice, including one during the 2014 World Cup.

“Brazil is a fantastic place, thanks to the vibrant and inclusive democracy and the strength of the electoral institutions,” Biden said. Bolsonaro himself criticizes his country’s voting system, which many interpret as he could denounce the fraud and not accept a possible defeat, as Trump did.

Bolsonaro spoke – translator through – for more than 7 minutes, but it was not addressed to the American but to the public of his country. He questioned the Brazilian voting system, defended his decision not to be involved in the global coalition against Russia for the war in Ukraine, and defended sovereignty over the Amazon.

Biden, meanwhile, was not looking at the Brazilian but was staring at the ground.

The Brazilian leader said on another occasion that “we have a great interest in drawing closer to the United States. Almost 200 years of association. Sometimes, we distance ourselves for reasons of ideology. But I am sure that upon our arrival in government we have never had such a great opportunity due to the affinities that our government has ”.

He also alluded to the Brazilian elections: “This year we have elections in Brazil and we want clean, reliable and verifiable elections so that there are no doubts after the election results and I am sure they will be held in this democratic spirit. I was elected for democracy and I am sure that when I leave the government it will also be democratically “.

The Brazilian president seemed to arrive with enthusiasm at the bilateral meeting: “I hope from the meeting a rapprochement between the United States and Brazil, that we can get closer. We have never had any problems with the United States. Brazil is open to dialogue and to have relations with any country ”, he said before the meeting in an interview with CNN.

“We will talk about various topics, also on renewable sources, transition energy, green hydrogen, but with him (Biden) I will also talk about confidential things, “said the Brazilian.

Even if he lowered the decibels, before he left for Los Angeles Bolsonaro had fueled the fire. In an interview on Tuesday, he said that ties between Brasilia and Washington have gone into something of a “freeze” since Biden arrived in the White House, and covertly reiterated that there may have been some irregularities in the US elections.

The US embassy in Brasilia reacted immediately and issued a statement seemed to refute Bolsonaro: “Elections are the most visible expression of a democracy and the United States prides itself on a long history of free, fair and reliable elections, which go through a meticulous process and stand the test of time,” they said.

Consulted by Clarín, Brian Winter, editor of the Council of the Americas Americas Quarterly and expert on relations with Brazil, said that “Bolsonaro was trying to prove that he was not an international pariah. He wanted the photo with Biden and legitimacy in front of a part of his very pro-US electorate. That said, the two presidents wanted to be seen talking “hard” to each other. “