Lula Rebukes New US Tariffs, Urges Dialogue With Washington
SAO PAULO-Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has criticised newly imposed US tariffs on Brazilian goods, describing them as unfair and a strategic error that risks damaging bilateral ties, disrupting integrated supply chains and increasing costs for American consumers.
Writing in an opinion article published by The Washington Post on Sunday, Lula said the United States had imposed new tariffs ranging from 12.5% to 37.5% on Brazilian products despite months of discussions between officials from both countries. He said the measures ignored numerous technical meetings, supporting documentation and representations he had personally made to US President Donald Trump.
Lula noted that the latest duties followed a US Supreme Court decision that struck down the 50% tariffs imposed last year. He argued that the new measures would nevertheless make a wide range of imported products, including food, footwear, textiles, furniture and automotive parts, more expensive for US consumers.
The US Embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lula’s remarks.
The Brazilian president also cited data from Global Trade Alert, an independent organisation based in Switzerland, which he said showed that Brazil and Turkiye are now the second most heavily tariffed countries by the United States after China.
Lula argued that the tariffs were difficult to justify given the long-standing economic relationship between the two countries. He said the United States had recorded a cumulative trade surplus of US$428 billion in goods and services with Brazil over the past 15 consecutive years.
The article was published one day after Flavio Bolsonaro, an ally of President Trump and a conservative presidential candidate in Brazil, formally launched his election campaign.
Lula also said Brazilian exports to the United States had fallen to their lowest level since 1997. He warned that, over time, the tariffs could encourage Brazilian companies to replace American suppliers with businesses in other markets, weakening supply chains that have become closely integrated over many years.
Despite his criticism of Washington’s trade policy, Lula said Brazil remained willing to pursue constructive dialogue with the United States. At the same time, he stressed that decisions affecting Brazil’s future should be made independently, saying the country’s course should be determined by Brazilians without foreign interference or subservience.
The tariff dispute marks the latest source of friction in relations between Washington and Brasília, as both governments continue to navigate broader disagreements over trade and economic policy.
