Brazil, U.S. discuss trade ties and tariff dispute in White House meeting – DatamarNews
Week 202619
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, May 7, at the White House in Washington. Speaking at a press conference, Lula said the three-hour meeting marked an important step in relations between Brazil and the United States.
“I leave here with the sense that we have taken an important step in consolidating the democratic and historic relationship that Brazil has with the United States,” Lula said. “It was an important meeting. Brazil is prepared to discuss any issue with any country in the world. There are no forbidden topics. The only things we will not compromise on are our democracy and our sovereignty,” he added.
After the meeting, Trump said on social media that he had a “very good” meeting with Lula. According to the U.S. president, further meetings between representatives of the two countries have already been scheduled.
Speaking to reporters, Lula said he was optimistic about the progress of negotiations over tariffs imposed by the United States on Brazilian products. “I suggested to Trump that we have our ministers work for 30 days to resolve this issue so that we can decide what will happen. I think it will end well, with an agreement between Brazil and the United States on the trade issue,” he said.
TRADE — Márcio Elias Rosa, executive secretary at Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, also commented on the tariff discussions. “We agreed to meet over the next 30 days to assess the matter and reach a conclusion. In our view, that conclusion should also lead to the closure of the Section 301 case. It was agreed that in the coming weeks we will resume negotiations on ending the tariffs and establishing a new framework for the future,” he said.
CRITICAL MINERALS — Lula said he informed Trump that Brazil’s lower house had just approved a regulatory framework for critical minerals. The Brazilian president stressed that the country is open to receiving investment from any nation. “We have no preference. Anyone who wants to work with us to help with mining, separation and producing the wealth these rare earths can offer is invited to go to Brazil,” he said.
Mines and Energy Minister Alexandre Silveira said Brazil offers fertile ground for investment. “We leave here, specifically in the area of mines and energy, extremely optimistic about this relationship and about future U.S. investment in Brazil,” he said.
FIGHT AGAINST CRIME — Justice and Public Security Minister Wellington César Lima e Silva said the two governments share views on combating organized crime, including cutting off the financial lifelines of criminal organizations. “President Luiz Inácio proposed working groups to address both the domestic dimension and cooperation with other initiatives, and I believe this was indeed a historic day in Brazil-U.S. relations,” he said.
Finance Minister Dario Durigan also highlighted cooperation to combat organized crime, including tighter customs enforcement through information sharing on arriving containers. He said the partnership has already led to the seizure of half a tonne of weapons. Durigan added that he expects progress on new agreements with the United States. “Both on customs and on anti-money laundering, we are very close to moving forward, with new agreements to be signed,” he said.
Source: Presidential Palace – Presidency of the Republic
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