Brazil's Lula asks Donald 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 Southeast Asian nations in Malaysia later this month, Brazil’s government said in a readout of the Monday call that lasted about 30 minutes.

“This morning, I had a very good telephone call with President Lula, of Brazil,” Trump said in a social media post, adding that they primarily focused on trade and the economy. “We will be having further discussions and will get together in the not-too-distant future, both in Brazil and the United States. I enjoyed the call — Our Countries will do very well together!” The Brazilian real briefly touched a session high after Trump’s post.

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.

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The conversation, which Finance Minister Fernando Haddad characterised 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.

Trump made no specific demands of Brazil during the call, and they didn’t discuss Bolsonaro’s conviction or specific products that remain subject to tariffs, according to a Brazilian official familiar with the call who requested anonymity to provide details.

Trump has tapped Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead ongoing trade negotiations with Lula’s government, according to the Brazilian statement. The presidents also exchanged phone numbers in an effort to establish direct communications, it said. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Even before the call, US and Brazilian officials had begun working to arrange an in-person meeting between Lula and Trump, while high-level channels have 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 the two 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.

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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.

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