President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will hold talks at the White House next month after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro ransacked the National Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace in Brasilia in protest of last year’s election.
Biden extended an invitation for Lula to visit Washington in early February during a phone call Monday, according to the White House.
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“President Biden conveyed the unwavering support of the United States for Brazil’s democracy and for the free will of the Brazilian people as expressed in Brazil’s recent presidential election, which President Lula won,” the White House wrote Monday evening. “President Biden condemned the violence and the attack on democratic institutions and on the peaceful transfer of power.”
Biden and Lula remained committed to addressing climate change, economic development, and peace and security, the White House added.
The White House issued the statement while Biden is in Mexico for the 10th North American Leaders’ Summit with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau. The three leaders also released a statement Monday denouncing the ugly demonstrations. Biden told reporters this past weekend the protests were “outrageous.”
Bolsonaro has not conceded to Lula, adamant the election, which was decided last October in a runoff, was rigged. Lula was inaugurated last week.
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Bolsonaro has been in Florida since New Year’s Eve when he attended former President Donald Trump‘s holiday party at Trump’s Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago private resort.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters earlier on Monday that the U.S. has not “received any official requests from the Brazilian government related to Bolsonaro” amid mounting pressure for his extradition.
