US President’s statement is seen as symbolic gesture, but Planalto Palace still awaits concrete signs of disposition for dialogue
The statement of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) “can talk to me whenever he wants”, was received with caution by the Brazilian government and is not seen as a clear sign of reopening dialogue between the two leaders. The phrase, said on Friday (1st) to journalists in the White House, occurs in the midst of a diplomatic crisis aggravated by commercial tariffs and sanctions against Minister Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court (STF).
At Itamaraty, the assessment is that there was a symbolic gesture, but still insufficient to characterize an effective political channel between Brasilia and Washington. Diplomats point out that calls between heads of state require prior articulation, definition of agenda and alignment between the teams, which has not yet occurred.
The relationship between Brazil and the United States has deteriorated in recent weeks after Trump announced a 50% rate on Brazilian products. The measure was justified by Washington as a reaction to Lula government practices, which, according to the US president, would harm US companies and threaten freedom of expression. On the same day, Moraes was included in a list of sanctions based on magnitsky law, used to punish authorities accused of violating human rights.
President Lula responded on social network X (former Twitter), stating that Brazil is “always open to dialogue”, but “who defines the directions of Brazil are Brazilians and their institutions”. The message was interpreted as a reaffirmation that the Planalto will not accept external interference on STF affairs. Lula’s government members and allies see Trump’s speech with skepticism. It is believed in Brasilia that there would only be direct conversation after well-structured diplomatic negotiations. Still, the possibility of a call between the two presidents is not ruled out, provided there are previous advances.
According to Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, a meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is scheduled for next week to deal with tariffs. “This meeting is essential to clarify the impacts of the measure and resume negotiation channels,” said Haddad. He also indicated that a possible dialogue between Lula and Trump will depend on the results of this meeting. In addition to the tariffs, the Brazilian government wants to approach the sanctions to Moraes. The head of the farm said he intends to explain the functioning of the country’s judiciary and contest what he has classified as “misinformation.”
Lula was being pressured by entrepreneurs to intervene directly in the negotiations. With Trump’s statement, business sectors began to defend a more active performance of the Brazilian president, fearing economic and diplomatic damage. Behind the scenes, diplomats see positive movements, such as the recent meeting between Chancellor Mauro Vieira and American Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington. The conversation occurred on the same day that the US officialized surcharge, but exceptions to products such as oil, iron ore and airplanes, which account for about 44.6% of Brazilian exports.
There is still no forecast of a face -to -face meeting between Lula and Trump. For the president’s allies, the risk of wear would be lower in a telephone conversation, out of cameras, unlike the public clashes Trump has starred with other leaders, such as Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine, and Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa. While reversing the effects of tariffs on the international plan, the government also discusses internal actions to mitigate impacts. In Ceará, for example, Governor Elmano de Freitas and Minister Haddad evaluate that the state and municipalities can acquire foods affected by tariffs for use in social programs.
*Report produced with the aid of AI
