WASHINGTON, United States (AFP)—United States (US) President Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday hailed a positive three-hour meeting in Washington, as the ideological opposites sought to smooth tensions.

Leftist Lula, 80, who grew up dirt poor, and right-wing billionaire Trump, 79, have clashed before over everything from tariffs to Trump’s bid to exert US dominance over the Americas.

However, both men beamed in photos after a meeting that dragged long past its scheduled time, as they worked to find common ground on thorny issues affecting the two biggest economies in the Americas.