'Diplomatic visit or pre-wedding shoot in the Amazon?': Macron, Lula's photos spark social media frenzy

Photos from a diplomatic visit between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva have sparked a flurry of excitement on social media. The apparent camaraderie between the two leaders during Macron's three-day visit to Brazil has captured public attention, with several netizens jokingly asking if these photos are from a diplomatic visit or 'pre-wedding photoshoot'.

"The same desire: to preserve the Amazon," wrote Macron on X, formerly Twitter, along with a video of the two leaders talking about the importance of the Amazon.

On Tuesday, the two leaders announced a plan to invest 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in the Amazon, including parts of the rainforest in neighboring French Guiana. In a joint statement, the governments of both countries announced that the funds will be allocated over the next four years to safeguard the rainforest. This initiative will involve cooperation between state-run Brazilian banks and France's investment agency. Additionally, Brazil and France expressed openness to contributions from private resources.

Amid the announcement of investment plan for the Amazon, images of the 46-year-old Macron warmly embracing the 78-year-old Lula during a trip to the rainforest have circulated widely, prompting various montages and witty comments from social media users worldwide.

In one edited image circulating online, the leaders are depicted raising their arms underneath a towering tree, with red balloons forming a heart shape in their grasp.

In another picture, they are portrayed hand in hand, sharing smiles as they gaze towards the horizon while gliding along the Amazon River in a boat.

"They are going to marry in the Amazon and have their honeymoon in Paris," joked one user on X, while others said pictures from the trip could make up a wedding album.

"Lula and Macron's Pre-Wedding Rehearsal was beautiful, you envious people," wrote another user.

Here's a look at some of the reactions that have flooded X:

The amicable rapport between Macron and Lula signifies a shift from the chilly relationship that existed between the French leader and Brazil's former right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro, who governed the country from 2019 to 2022.

The conclusion of Macron's trip on Thursday in Brasilia will culminate in a meeting with Lula at the presidential palace, where the two leaders unveiled a billion-dollar green investment plan for the Amazon.

France, ranked as the seventh-largest economy globally, and Brazil, the ninth-largest, hold significant importance in a geopolitical landscape overshadowed by the rivalry between China and the United States.

Paris views Brasilia as a crucial link to major emerging economies, whose influence Brazil seeks to enhance through its presidency of the G20 and membership in the BRICS+ group.