Lula Asks Trump To End Tariffs As Leaders Agree To Meet Soon

Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked Donald Trump to remove tariffs on the country’s goods and sanctions on top officials in the first extensive conversation they’ve held since the US leader thrust the South American nation into the center of his global trade war.

The pair of leaders agreed to hold an in-person meeting soon, with Lula suggesting a potential encounter at a summit of Southeastern Asian nations in Malaysia later this month, Brazil’s government said in a readout of the Monday call that lasted about 30 minutes.

Trump, it said, has tapped Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead ongoing trade negotiations with Brazil. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The call is the clearest sign yet of a thaw in US-Brazil relations that deteriorated rapidly after Trump imposed 50% trade levies on many Brazilian goods and sanctions on a Supreme Court judge in a bid to stop the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted on coup attempt charges in September.

The call, which Finance Minister Fernando Haddad characterized as “positive,” followed a seconds-long encounter at the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, when Trump said he and Lula had “good chemistry” and had discussed a meeting to talk over their differences.

US and Brazilian officials have since begun working to arrange an in-person meeting between the two presidents, while high-level channels have also reopened.

Vice President Geraldo Alckmin resumed talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick last week, while Haddad is expected to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington later this month.

Brazil has aimed to use the talks to resolve what it considers misunderstandings over trade and other issues between both governments. A central point of contention is the legal framework for US social media companies operating in the country, especially after the Brazilian Supreme Court’s temporary suspension of Elon Musk’s X last year.

Trump and other administration officials also spent months trying to pressure Brazil to drop the charges against Bolsonaro, one of the US leader’s closest allies in Latin America.

Bolsonaro’s legal woes resulted from a 2023 insurrection attempt against Lula’s government that drew comparisons to the US Capitol attacks that followed Trump’s 2020 defeat. A federal grand jury indicted Trump on multiple criminal counts related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, charges that were ultimately dropped after his victory last year.

“That’s very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn’t get away with it, at all,” Trump said of Bolsonaro’s trial last month.

Lula has regularly blasted Trump for attacking Brazilian sovereignty and attempting to intervene in domestic affairs, a message that helped boost his popularity ahead of a 2026 presidential election in which he plans to run again.

But the leftist leader has also maintained that he’s open to talks with the US — Brazil’s second-largest trading partner — as long as he’s treated as an equal.

Brazil’s private sector has joined efforts to improve dialogue between the two countries, with leading companies and industry groups called on to provide input about their sectors.