According to a statement released by the Brazilian government, Brazilian President Lula had a telephone conversation with U.S. President Trump on August 21, discussing the recent U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods.
The statement said that Lula reiterated during the call that negotiation is the best way to resolve disputes, while Trump suggested that officials from both countries should meet as soon as possible.
On July 15, the U.S. Trade Representative Office announced that it would impose a 25% additional tariff on certain Brazilian products, in addition to the existing tariffs. On July 23, the U.S. Trade Representative Office, citing so-called "forced labor" as a reason, imposed new tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on dozens of countries and regions, including Brazil, to replace the global import tariffs that were about to expire.
The Brazilian side responded that these reasons put forward by Washington are baseless, and such actions by the US will harm the economies of both countries.
An anonymous Brazilian official involved in the telephone conversation revealed that the relationship between President Lula and President Trump is still “very friendly”. However, the Brazilian government expects that tariffs will not change until Brazil holds its elections in October.
The purpose of this telephone call was to restart negotiations. The official said so.
According to reports, after a telephone conversation between the presidents of the two countries, U.S. Trade Representative Jasmine Green called Brazil's Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Marcio Rosas, to arrange a meeting date. Rosas stated that the specific date would be determined on Monday (the 24th).
The Brazilian government announced on the 13th that it has initiated procedures under the Economic Parity Act to counter the new tariff measures imposed by the United States government on Brazilian products.
Additionally, Lula reiterated during the call that Brazil is willing to cooperate with the United States in fighting organized crime. However, he also pointed out that criminal gangs operating in Brazil should not be equated with terrorist organizations. In May of this year, Washington had labeled two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organizations.
