Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during a joint news conference in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he plans to designate Brazil as a major non-NATO ally “or maybe a NATO ally.”

Speaking at a joint White House news conference with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Trump said: “As I told President Bolsonaro, I also intend to designate Brazil as a major non-NATO ally - or ... maybe a NATO ally. I’ll have to talk to a lot of people but maybe a NATO ally - which will greatly advance security and cooperation between our countries.”