Civil House brings together Justice, AGU, Finance, MRE and special advisory to align response to the American decision on the factions
The government of (PT) called an emergency meeting at the Civil House for this Friday (May 29, 2026) to define the official response to the United States’ decision to.
Minister Miriam Belchior called the meeting, which was not on the agendas of the ministries involved. Participants must spend the day together. President Lula is keeping an agenda in Sergipe and does not participate in the meeting. Planalto must release an official note by the end of the day.
Chancellor Mauro Vieira and the Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan, participate in the meeting. Representatives from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the AGU (Attorney General of the Union) and the Presidency’s special advisory are also expected.
The Minister of Justice, Wellington César Lima, should not participate directly. He is in Paraguay for a Mercosur meeting. The executive secretary of the department must represent it.
The MDIC (Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services) was left out. Minister Márcio Elias Rosa’s office reported that there were no changes to his agenda and that no secretary was notified about participation in the meeting.
The backdrop is the decision announced on Thursday (May 28) by the US State Department. The two factions will receive the designations “specially designated global terrorists” and “foreign terrorist organizations.” The classification comes into effect on June 5th.
Read the full text (804 kB) and (PDF – 147 kB) of the statement.
Planalto’s central concern is the extraterritorial reach of North American legislation. By classifying an organization as terrorist, the US can sanction banks and companies in any country that operate with it, without relying on bilateral agreements or local legislation.
The Lula government understands that PCC and Comando Vermelho do not fit the definition of terrorism provided for in Brazilian legislation. For Planalto, the two factions act with economic and territorial control motivation, not ideological.
A , defines that “terrorism consists of the practice by one or more individuals […] for reasons of xenophobia, discrimination or prejudice based on race, color, ethnicity and religion, when committed with the purpose of provoking social or generalized terror, exposing people, property, public peace or public safety to danger”.
For members of Secom (Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic), the US measure generates ambiguous perception in public opinion. There are doubts about whether the average voter associates the designation of “terrorism” in Washington with everyday violence in Brazil.
The feeling in the Planalto corridors this morning was one of urgency.
In addition to the impasse over factions, the government is dealing with a tight deadline in trade negotiations. After the meeting between Lula and (Republican Party), at the White House, on May 7, the MDIC minister announced that the 2 countries would hold meetings in the following 30 days to evaluate trade tariffs. The government’s expectation was to close the Section 301 investigation.
The deadline expires in early June. The working group created by the 2 countries held a first meeting via videoconference on May 20, between Elias Rosa and the US trade representative, Jamieson Greer.
The 2nd meeting, which was supposed to take place this week, had not been held until the publication of this report, according to the report. Poder360.
Elias Rosa confirmed that the 2nd round has not yet taken place, but did not provide dates.
The scenario puts Planalto in an impasse. The Lula government wants to react firmly to the classification of the factions without compromising the trade negotiations, which expire in the next few days.
