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Alsharq Tribune-Otaify
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked U.S. President Donald Trump to eliminate the newly imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian products in a phone call on Monday, said the Brazilian presidency's communications secretariat.
In the call initiated by Trump, Lula noted that Brazil is one of three countries in the Group of 20 (G20) with which the United States has a trade surplus, asking the United States to lift tariffs and sanctions on Brazilian authorities, including cancelling their U.S. visas, according to a statement from the secretariat.
"In a friendly tone, the two leaders talked for 30 minutes, recalling the good chemistry they had in New York during the UN General Assembly. Both presidents reiterated the positive impression of that meeting," the statement said.
Also on the call were Brazil's Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira, Finance Minister Fernando Haddad, Presidential Spokesperson Sidonio Palmeira, and Celso Amorim, chief advisor to the president.
The call took place amid tensions caused by Trump's decision to impose 50 percent tariffs on a range of Brazilian products, starting Aug. 6.
Trump appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio to follow up on the matter through negotiations with Alckmin, Vieira and Haddad.
The two leaders agreed to meet in person soon, and Brazil reiterated its invitation for Trump to participate in this year's UN Climate Change Conference in the Amazonian city of Belem in November.
The possibility of a direct meeting between Lula and Trump was announced last month by the U.S. president during the UN General Assembly in New York City, after a brief encounter between the two, who greeted each other and agreed to talk.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he "enjoyed the call," which was "very good," while Alckmin told reporters after the conversation that it was "better than we expected.
