Lula, Trump discuss tariffs in phone call, Brazil says

On Friday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump engaged in a phone conversation to discuss the recent tariffs imposed by the United States on Brazilian goods. In the call, Lula emphasized that negotiations were the optimal approach to resolving the dispute, whereas Trump proposed that officials from both nations meet as swiftly as feasible.

The United States government had announced a 25% tariff on certain Brazilian products the previous month, asserting unfair trade practices. Additionally, the U.S. imposed 12.5% tariffs on goods from numerous countries, including Brazil, citing allegations of insufficient enforcement of forced labor bans. Lula stated in his statement that these tariffs would adversely affect both economies and that the allegations presented by Washington, encompassing issues such as deforestation, intellectual property, corruption, Brazil's Pix instant payment system, ethanol, and imports potentially linked to forced labor, were unfounded.

Earlier this month, Brazil initiated a process to seek further consultations with U.S. trade authorities, a step that could result in measures against Washington. Lula reiterated in the call Brazil's desire to collaborate with the U.S. in combating organized crime, but clarified that criminal gangs operating within Brazil should not be equated with terrorist organizations, a label that Washington had applied to two such groups in May.