President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday (3) that the Brazilian government was surprised by New proposed trade tariffs announced by the United States. and intends to send a new letter to President Donald Trump to address the issue.
The statement was made during a ministerial meeting held at the Planalto Palace in Brasília. Lula stated that Brazil had not received official communication from the White House regarding the measures and criticized the way the US government conducted the process.
According to the president, trade discussions between the two countries were still ongoing and on schedule as agreed during a recent meeting with Trump.
“At the last meeting, when I was there […] we had a three-hour conversation with Trump, and we presented the issues that Brazil wants to discuss. Regarding trade relations, there was a disagreement between my minister and their trade minister, and I proposed to Trump: 'Since there's no agreement between the two ministers, let's give them thirty days to come to an understanding'.”
Lula highlighted that the agreement reached included a period for negotiation between the technical teams of both governments before any final decision on the matter.
Surprised by the announcement from the United States.
Commenting on the new tariff recommendations presented by US government agencies, the president stated that Brazil did not expect the announcement at this stage of the negotiations.
According to Lula, the 30-day period established during the conversation with Trump had not yet expired when the measures were announced.
“Nothing has been concluded. That is why we are surprised by the decision to issue yet another statement, yet another tax regarding Brazil,” he continued.
The president also stated that the country cannot accept the treatment it has received from the United States in recent weeks and signaled that it will seek a diplomatic solution to the impasse.
The Brazilian government's strategy is to keep negotiations open while trying to prevent the new tariffs proposed by Washington from taking effect.
Documents delivered to Trump
In detailing his version of the bilateral negotiations, Lula stated that, during the meeting held in Washington, he personally delivered four documents considered strategic by the Brazilian government to President Donald Trump. According to him, the materials addressed topics of common interest between the two countries, including the fight against criminal factions, the exploration of strategic minerals known as rare earths, and issues related to the international geopolitical scenario, such as the war involving Iran.
The president said he left the meeting with the expectation that Brazil and the United States were inaugurating a new stage of dialogue.
“I left there convinced that we were establishing a new logic in the democratic and civilized relationship between Brazil and the United States. And I confess to you that I was taken by surprise yesterday by their decision, and the one the day before yesterday.”
The statement reinforces the Brazilian government's argument that the recent tariff recommendations announced by US administration bodies occurred while previously agreed-upon negotiations between the two heads of state were still underway.
Lula criticizes Brazilians who support measures against the country.
During his speech, the president also harshly criticized Brazilians who, according to him, were encouraging US trade measures against Brazil for internal political interests. Although he did not mention names, the statement comes amid recent pronouncements by Senator Flávio Bolsonaro regarding the relationship between the two countries.
Lula stated that imposing tariffs on Brazilian products not only harms the federal government, but directly affects workers, businesses, and productive sectors of the national economy.
"What's saddest is that there are Brazilians—whose names I won't mention here—fueling this fight, with the expectation that if he taxes us, he'll harm a presidential candidacy. But what such an imbecile doesn't realize is that it's the people who are harmed, not Lula," he said.
Subsequently, the president escalated his criticism and described as unacceptable the defense of measures that could cause economic harm to the country due to electoral disputes.
"In other words, asking for punishment against the country in order to defeat a candidacy, or to gain an advantage, is so rude that I can't find another name for it, other than to say: in any other world, at any other historical moment, this would be called treason. That's what they did, there's no explanation for it," he continued.
Letter to Trump should strengthen Brazil's position.
During the ministerial meeting, Lula informed that he intends to send a new letter to the US president to formally present Brazil's position and advocate for the continuation of the talks.
The president also reported that, during the meeting held in the United States, he made it clear to Trump that he would be willing to reconsider his positions if the US arguments proved correct. Similarly, according to Lula, Trump should reconsider his positions if the Brazilian arguments prevailed.
The initiative comes amid rising trade tensions between the two countries, following reports from the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) recommending new tariffs on Brazilian products.
Criticism of the US government
During his opening remarks at the ministerial meeting, Lula also reiterated criticisms he had previously made of the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio.
The president once again used the expression "frustrated Latin American" to refer to the head of US diplomacy, in yet another episode of heated exchanges between members of the Brazilian and US governments.
Despite the hardening of political rhetoric, the Presidential Palace maintains its assessment that there is still room for negotiation and that dialogue between the two countries has not been interrupted.
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