Brazilian President Lula said negotiating teams from both countries would begin “immediately” to address U.S. tariffs and sanctions.
Published October 26, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held what Brazil called constructive talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur, raising hopes for improved relations following the imposition of U.S. tariffs.
Brazil’s Lula said Sunday’s meeting with Trump, an ally of his political rival and former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, was “excellent”, adding that negotiating teams from both countries would address tariffs and other issues “immediately”.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“We have agreed that our teams will meet immediately to proceed with finding a solution to the tariffs and sanctions against the Brazilian authorities,” Lula said in a message to X after the meeting.
Trump had linked the July tariffs, which raised tariffs from 10% to 50% on most Brazilian goods imported into the United States, to what he called a “witch hunt” against far-right leader Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years in prison for an attempted coup after losing the 2022 presidential election.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s supporters rioted in the capital’s political center, sparking a riot by Mr. Trump’s supporters in Washington, D.C., two years ago on January 6.
The U.S. government also sanctioned a number of Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial that led to Bolsonaro’s conviction.
But ahead of Sunday’s meeting, Trump said that while he was concerned about Bolsonaro’s fate, there was a chance that some kind of agreement could be reached with Lula and that he hoped the two countries would enjoy strong ties.
“We should be able to get a pretty good deal for both countries,” Trump said.
Lula has previously called the U.S. tariff hike a “mistake,” citing the U.S. trade surplus with Brazil, which has reached $410 billion over 15 years.
“We will conclude negotiations within the next few weeks.”
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said it was unclear whether the U.S. had agreed, but that negotiations would begin immediately and that Brazil had requested a suspension of tariffs while negotiations progressed.
“We hope to conclude bilateral negotiations in the near future, within the next few weeks, that will address each area of the current U.S. tariffs on Brazil,” Vieira said.
He added that Lula also offered to help mediate between the United States and Venezuela. Washington has deployed the country’s largest warship and is threatening ground strikes against drug cartel suspects, an operation that Caracas has denounced as a “fabricated” pretext for war.
Márcio Rosa, undersecretary of Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Bolsonaro was not mentioned during Trump’s meeting with Lula.
Increased U.S. tariffs on Brazilian products are beginning to restructure the global beef trade, increasing prices in the U.S. and encouraging triangular trade through third countries such as Mexico, while Brazilian exports to China remain strong.
