Trump Says He’s ‘Very Inclined’ to Make Brazil an Official Ally
Brazil would become just the second Latin American country and 18th nation overall to receive the designation.
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he’s “very inclined” to make Brazil an official U.S. ally during an Oval Office meeting with President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday.
The agreement to grant Brazil status as a major non-NATO ally would provide the country preferential access to U.S. military equipment and technology. Brazil would become just the second Latin American country -- after Argentina -- and 18th nation overall to receive the designation.
At a news conference later, Trump said Brazil could possibly join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is unlikely given that the group is focused on European defense.
Trump also said that the two countries are discussing different options for a launch base for U.S. satellites. Bolsonaro announced on Monday that the countries had agreed to a deal providing the U.S. access to the satellite launching base in Alcantara, opening the facility on the north coast of Brazil to U.S. commercial launches after two decades of negotiations.
The agreement, which still needs approval from Brazil’s Congress, offers protections for U.S. technology. American companies are eager to use the facility because its location close to the equator will help them save on fuel costs.
“We’re working on different military sites and different options,” Trump said.
Trump added that the two leaders will discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. The White House has already applauded Bolsonaro for allowing the U.S. to position humanitarian aid on their shared border, and administration officials said they expected to discuss the tens of thousands of refugees who have fled Venezuela to neighboring countries.
Asked whether he would discuss military action against the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Trump repeated his position on the issue -- “all options are on the table” -- and said he and Bolsonaro are “going to discuss it today.”
At the joint news conference later, Trump said the U.S. has yet to unveil its harshest sanctions. “We may be doing that,” he said. “We can go tougher.”
The leaders have both recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president of the country with the goal of forcing Maduro from power. The White House also says the Brazilian military can serve as an interlocutor with elements of the Venezuelan military that have remained loyal to Maduro.
The meeting between Trump and Bolsonaro comes as U.S. officials are debating how to respond to the continuing humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. That includes an ongoing debate on whether to offer immigration relief to some 70,000 Venezuelans currently in the U.S. despite Trump’s broader efforts to curtail immigration, according to a report Monday in the Wall Street Journal.
Brazilian officials cautioned ahead of the meeting that a military intervention in Venezuela is not in the cards, though Trump aides have repeatedly refused to rule out the use of force.
Trump also said he supported Brazil joining the 35-member Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Brazil has implemented a series of economic changes in a bid to gain accession to the OECD, and a public endorsement by Trump provides a valuable boost to the country’s candidacy.
The White House was thought to be reluctant because of the U.S. president’s skepticism toward international institutions, but a senior U.S. official said Monday the administration would do anything it could to help Brazil achieve its goal.
Brazil submitted its application for OECD membership in May 2017. During last year’s G-20 meeting in Argentina, the administration announced its formal support for Argentina’s accession to the group.
Trump added the two leaders will discuss visa requirements between the nations. Brazil has finalized its policy to remove visa requirements for U.S. citizens, who will not need extra documentation to enter the country after June 17.
In a speech Monday to business leaders in Washington, Bolsonaro said that he wanted to expand trade relations with the U.S., an argument echoed by his economy minister, Paulo Guedes, who told the same audience that Brazil would open its markets unilaterally. As for Venezuela, a common area of concern for the U.S. and Brazilian administrations, Bolsonaro said that it was necessary to solve the issue. “Those people have to be set free,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, the Brazilian president visited the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency, along with his Justice Minister, Sergio Moro. The decision raised eyebrows among media commentators who noted that Bolsonaro had not yet found the time to visit the Abin, the C.I.A’s Brazilian counterpart.
To contact the reporters on this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.net;Simone Iglesias in Brasília at spiglesias@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu, Justin Blum
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