During his visit to Washington, DC last week — his first trip to the northern hemisphere since being inaugurated on January 1 — Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva specifically requested meetings with two political leaders before sitting down with Joe Biden on Friday afternoon. Lula’s visit was short, so the way he budgeted his time was telling.

His first official engagement was with Senator Bernie Sanders, a longtime ally of Lula and his Workers’ Party (PT). Sanders later tweeted that it was “a pleasure” to speak with Lula, adding that “we discussed the importance of defending democracy, advancing workers’ rights, and increasing environmental and climate cooperation around the world.” Lula also noted that he had “the pleasure of meeting [Bernie] in person” after having spoken in video calls before. “We discussed democracy, the trade union movement and better rights and jobs for workers,” Lula said.

Next, Lula met with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, during which “we talk[ed] about social programs that we developed in Brazil, the concern we share about the environment and the future of the world and the confrontation with the far right and fake news on social media,” Lula later tweeted. “It was a true honor meeting with you,” Ocasio-Cortez responded, “and discussing global solidarity for the planet and working people. Obrigada!”