Hands-on Macron rekindles bromance with Lula

Emmanuel Macron and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva held hands and strolled around the grounds of the Elysée on Wednesday.
In his latest tactile display, the touchy-feely Mr Macron embraced the 79-year-old Brazilian president on the first state visit from the country's head of government to France since Dilma Rousseff's trip in 2012.
Their hand-holding walkabout comes a year after the pair were filmed ambling through the Amazon and posing beneath the soaring canopy in white button-down shirts during Mr Macron's state visit.
They were later seen clasping hands on a boat as Mr Macron looked adoringly at Mr Lula, both leaders' faces lit by a gentle sun.
The French president later posted on X: 'Some have compared the images of my visit to Brazil to those of a wedding, I tell them: it was one!,'
He accompanied the post with a photo of himself and Lula photoshopped onto the movie poster from 'La La Land' in place of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, adding: 'France loves Brazil and Brazil loves France!'
Mr Lula replied with the flags of their two nations and an emoji of swirling hearts.
🇧🇷💞🇫🇷
— Lula (@LulaOficial) March 28, 2024
The Brazilian head-of-state is by no means the only world leader to receive Mr Macron's full Gallic charm offensive.
In March, the French president engaged in a brotherly hug, a 13-second handshake and warm pats on the back with Sir Keir Starmer during a Lancaster House summit about securing the future of Ukraine and advocating for a 'coalition of the willing' of countries who would join them.
Diplomats said the 'bromance' suggested Britain and France are the closest they have been in more than a decade.
Mr Macron also got tactile – again – with Donald Trump in February at the Oval Office where there were hugs, back slaps and touching knees as the leaders jostled to use body language as a power play.
In a particularly tense moment, Mr Macron interrupted his 78-year-old counterpart as Mr Trump falsely claimed that Europe was 'loaning' money to Ukraine and would get 'their money back'.
Mr Macron put his hand on Mr Trump's arm and carefully corrected him: 'No, in fact, to be frank, we paid 60 per cent of the total effort.'
In 2018, during one of their meetings in the Vatican, the French president greeted the late Pope Francis by kissing his cheek. Both men were on first-name terms despite a string of disagreements from abortion rights to assisted dying.
Mr Macron's hands-on approach led him to break royal protocol on numerous occasions during King Charles and Queen Camilla's trip to France in September 2023.
As the monarch greeted crowds in Paris, the French president was seen reaching out to touch Charles on the arm and back. While it is considered only a minor infringement, the move still falls foul of protocol.
The pair are known to have a friendly bond, as they were seen chatting at COP26 in Glasgow back in 2021.
He also flirted with royal protocol by kissing Queen Camilla's hand.
The rekindling bromance between Mr Macron and Mr Lula comes just after the French president received a shove in the face with both hands from his wife Brigitte during a trip to Vietnam as the pair prepared to descend from the presidential plane in Hanoi.
The French president later strenuously denied any 'domestic dispute' and complained that this was the latest attempt by 'crazy people', 'fools', and opponents out to smear him at all costs.
He told reporters in Hanoi: 'We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife, and I am surprised by this.'
He also lamented the fact that the footage had been turned into 'a kind of global catastrophe where some people are even coming up with theories'.
Despite their warm encounter, Mr Macron and Mr Lula don't agree on all diplomatic matters.
France has staunchly opposed ratifying the so-called Mercosur agreement, a trade deal between the European Union and four South American nations, including Brazil, over fears a flow of lower-cost agricultural goods would outcompete Europe's farmers.
In a further nod to their proximity, Mr Lula said on Thursday: 'Open your heart a little to this opportunity to finalise this agreement with our dear Mercosur.'

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