Lula vows response to Trump’s tariff move on Brazil
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President Trump has warned over a dozen countries of steep trade penalties unless new bilateral agreements are made by August 1, expanding his tariff campaign.
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Brazil's President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during his visit to the Brazilian Navy Command in Brasilia on March 15, 2023. (AP)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Wednesday that his country will respond in kind to new US trade measures, following President Donald Trump’s decision to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian exports.
"Any measure to unilaterally raise tariffs will be responded to in accordance with Brazil's Economic Reciprocity Law," Lula's office said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump is expanding his tariff campaign, dispatching a fresh round of formal letters to over a dozen countries, warning them of sharp trade penalties unless new bilateral agreements are reached before August 1.
The letters, published on Trump's Truth Social account on Monday night, reiterated his administration's push for what he calls "balanced" and "fair" trade. Each one outlines country-specific tariffs to be imposed next month and offers the possibility of negotiation if foreign leaders are willing to make concessions.
"Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal," Trump wrote in the form letter shared with multiple governments. "We invite you to participate in the extraordinary Economy of the United States," he added, "but only with more balanced, and fair, TRADE."
Trump announced on Sunday night that any nation "aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS" would face "an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff," emphasizing there would be "no exceptions to this policy."
Trump did not provide further details, but his remarks came in the wake of a statement from BRICS, the 11-member bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, and China, expressing deep concern over the rising use of unilateral trade restrictions. The bloc warned that such measures not only undermine global trade but also violate the principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO), threatening the stability and fairness of the international economic system.
The BRICS bloc avoided directly mentioning Trump while denouncing tariff policies and opposing military strikes on Iran, where US forces targeted nuclear facilities in backing "Israel," as the 12-day war on Iran suddenly concluded.
The statement published by BRICS, as it held its first leaders' summit since 2009 in Brazil on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the summit in person.
