Lula asked Trump to suspend the 40% tariff on Brazilian exports.
The vice president said he was optimistic about the progress of trade negotiations between Brazil and the United States.
247 - Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, declared this Sunday (12) that there are positive signs that the United States may suspend the 40% tariff applied to Brazilian products since August. According to a report in the newspaper The GlobeAlckmin stated that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva directly requested that the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, temporarily suspend the surcharge while bilateral negotiations continue.
According to the vice-president, Lula's intention is to guarantee more balanced conditions until a definitive agreement is reached between the two countries.
"President Lula's request to President Trump was to suspend the 40% tariffs while negotiations are underway. That was the request: while negotiations continue, suspend the 40%. And then we move to a win-win situation, with a great possibility of partnership between Brazil and the United States," Alckmin emphasized.
Sectors are already feeling partial relief.
Although the surcharge still affects most Brazilian exports, some sectors have already seen a significant reduction in recent days. Alckmin cited cellulose and ferronickel, which now have zero import tariffs in the US.
"Cellulose, iron-nickel, is already at 0%. That represents 4% of Brazilian exports. Last week, waxed and softwood was at 50%, it dropped to 10%. Cabinets, sofas, furniture, which was at 50%, dropped to 25%. What we need is to move forward faster," he said.
Meeting scheduled in Malaysia
There is an expectation that Lula and Trump will meet in person at the end of October in Malaysia to continue the dialogue. The first contact on the subject occurred in September, during the UN General Assembly in New York.
