Germany, Brazil plan high-level meetings as ties strengthen

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has invited Brazilian President Lula da Silva for talks and a joint cabinet meeting in Berlin in the second half of this year, in a sign of strengthening ties between Europe and South America’s two biggest economies, Report informs via Bloomberg.

The invitation comes despite the leaders’ differing views on how to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and what role China could play in any peace efforts to end the war.

The German-Brazilian talks will focus on closer cooperation on trade, energy, raw materials and climate protection, according to officials from the two countries who spoke under condition of anonymity because the plans haven’t been announced yet.

The so-called intergovernmental consultations will be the first to take place in this format since 2015. Back then, President Dilma Rousseff and 19 of her ministers received Chancellor Angela Merkel with an entourage of 12 ministers and deputy ministers in Brasilia.

Germany has been making a concerted effort to bolster its relationship with Brazil, with President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Scholz visiting at the start of the year, Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck this week and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock scheduled for June.

The South American country is rich in raw materials and has a high share of renewables in its power output, making it a prime candidate for the production of green hydrogen — an energy source Germany is counting on to become less dependent on natural gas.

Germany also sees Brazil — a fellow member of the Group of 20 — as an important geopolitical partner.

Following years of diplomatic frustration under former President Jair Bolsonaro, a “window of opportunity” has opened for closer cooperation, Habeck said during the German-Brazilian economic talks in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on Monday. Still, the areas of agreement are limited. During a joint news conference in January, Lula turned down Scholz’s request to send ammunition to Ukraine as part of the international effort to help Kyiv repel the Russian invasion.

Scholz had been trying to rally support for Ukraine during a four-day visit to South America in January after deciding together with the US to send German battle tanks, armored fighting vehicles and a Patriot missile battery to Kyiv. Habeck told reporters during his trip that he had ”intensive discussions” with Brazil’s Vice President and foreign minister on Ukraine and Germany’s perspective.

Lula has raised the possibility of China playing a mediation role to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. Scholz has warned China not to support Russia with weapons and has also called on Beijing to talk not only to Russia about the conflict but also listen to the Ukrainians.