You are connecting from Lake Geneva Public Library, please login or register to take advantage of your institution's Ground News Plan.
Published 19 hours ago • loading... • Updated 2 hours ago
Trump told Lula that officials should meet soon to discuss tariffs, Brazil says
The 80-minute call led both governments to prepare new meetings after Brazil rejected U.S. tariff claims as unfounded.
On Friday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump held an 80-minute phone call, agreeing that technical delegations should resume meetings to resolve ongoing tariff disputes.
Washington imposed new trade barriers in July, including 25% tariffs on Brazilian goods and 12.5% levies linked to forced labor concerns, which Lula rejected as "unfounded" during the call.
Lula also challenged Washington's May designation of two Brazilian criminal gangs as terrorist organizations, arguing that while these groups inflict "daily terror," they should not be equated with international terror threats.
Ahead of Brazil's presidential election in October, trade tensions have become a significant campaign issue, with security concerns remaining a top priority for Brazilians.
Negotiations aim to de-escalate the trade measures, mirroring the United States' decision last year to drop punitive tariffs following diplomatic efforts by the Brazilian government.
During the conversation, the Brazilian president, who will run for a fourth term, considered that the "allegations" that motivated the US surtax are "unfounded".