Macron and Lula’s ‘bromance’ sets social media fans alight

Rio de Janeiro: Wedding photos or diplomatic visit? The apparent “bromance” between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has got social media fans excited.

During his three-day visit to Brazil, Macron, 46, was pictured smiling and warmly embracing Lula, 78, during a visit to the Amazonian rainforest.

Many of the photos have since spread rapidly among social media users in Brazil, along with montages and witty comments.

One photo shows the leaders holding hands under a large tree, which has been edited to show them holding red balloons in the shape of a heart.

Another picture depicts the couple smiling, hand in hand, looking towards the horizon as they float in a boat along the Amazon River.

One user on X joked, “They're going to get married in the Amazon and honeymoon in Paris,” while another said the photos from the trip could become a wedding album.

Macron's warm ties with Lula mark a departure from the frosty relationship between the French leader and Brazil's former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who led the country from 2019 to 2022.

His trip, which will end in Brasilia on Thursday when he meets Lula at the presidential palace, with the two leaders announcing a $1 billion green investment plan for the Amazon.

France, the world's seventh-largest economy, and Brazil, the ninth-largest economy, are considered key players in a geopolitical landscape marked by the rivalry between China and the United States.

Paris sees Brasilia as a bridge to larger emerging economies whose voice Brazil is trying to amplify through its presidency of the G20 and membership of the BRICS+ grouping.