First post-tariff Brazil–US talks deemed “very positive”
In a joint statement, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer noted that they had “very positive discussions on trade and ongoing bilateral issues.”
Mauro Vieira and US officials met this Thursday (Oct. 16) at the White House in Washington, with talks focusing primarily on the tariffs imposed by the United States on Brazilian products.
The statement further points out that the officials are committed to setting up an encounter between Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump.
“Secretary Rubio, Ambassador Greer, and Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira agreed to collaborate and hold discussions on several fronts in the near future, while also establishing a path for joint work. Both parties agreed to work together to arrange a meeting between Presidents Trump and Lula at the earliest possible opportunity,” the statement released by the ministry said.
No date or location has been announced. Initially, the expectation was that it would take place during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Malaysia at the end of October.
However, as the Brazilian foreign minister told reporters, the presidents’ schedules will determine the most appropriate time.
The consultation between Vieira and Rubio marks the resumption of dialogue between the two countries after several months of diplomatic tension.
Relations between Brazil and the United States have been unstable since the Trump administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian products. The White House justified the measure as a response to an alleged “politicization” of the Brazilian judiciary, which, at the time, was trying former President Jair Bolsonaro for an attempted coup d’état. Bolsonaro was later sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison.
In addition to the tariff hike, Washington also imposed financial and consular sanctions on Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. These actions were perceived in Brasília as political retaliation.
The talks between Vieira and Rubio are the first high-level interaction since Trump resumed the US presidency in January. They signal an effort to restore relations between the two countries, following a brief conversation between Lula and Biden during the United Nations General Assembly in September in New York.
* Wellton Máximo contributed to this report.
