President Trump will welcome Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the White House Thursday, ending a year of tariff threats, sanctions and public barbs. Their meeting follows a brief détente after Trump rolled back duties on key Brazilian exports and the two leaders exchanged pleasantries at last year’s UN gathering. Analysts expect talks on security, trade and critical minerals.

Trade friction centered on U.S. attempts to pressure Brazil over the prosecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro, whom Trump labelled a political persecution case. Sanctions on a Supreme Court justice and a proposed terrorist designation for Brazil’s two largest drug cartels have inflamed sovereignty concerns in Brasília. Lula’s government seeks to keep control of its vast mineral reserves while fielding offers from Washington.

Both sides see an agreement on mineral extraction as a lever against China’s dominance, with Washington eyeing millions of tons of nickel, lithium and rare earths. Yet Brazil insists on multilateral sales, wary that a U.S.-led deal could limit its bargaining power. The Thursday talks will determine whether the partnership moves from rhetoric to a tangible supply-chain framework.