WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden will host Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva for meetings on Feb. 10, the White House announced, a month after far-right protesters stormed government buildings in the Brazilian capital.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the leaders would discuss “US support for Brazilian democracy and how the two countries can continue to work together to promote inclusion and democratic values in the region and around the world.” They will also discuss climate change, migration, economic development and security issues.
Lulu replaced President Jair Bolsonaro, who left Brazil for Florida on Dec. 30, two days before Lula’s inauguration. The ceremony went off without incident, but a week later thousands of Bolsonaro’s die-hard supporters stormed the capital and demolished key government buildings, demanding the left-wing president’s election be annulled.
The action was strongly condemned by Biden, who promised American help. It had echoes of the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump after he lost his re-election bid.
Bolsonaro is under investigation as to whether he had any role in instigating that rebellion. It’s just one of several investigations targeting the former president, which could at the very least disqualify him from future races.
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