Rubio invites Brazilian foreign minister for talks as Brazil seeks to ease tariffs

SAO PAULO (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday invited Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira to meet in person soon in Washington as Brazil seeks an easing of U.S. tariffs, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said.

The call followed a Monday phone conversation between Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump, during which Lula asked Trump to lift a 40% tariff on Brazilian imports.

“Following a positive dialogue on the bilateral agenda, both sides agreed their teams would meet soon in Washington to continue discussions on economic and trade issues,” the Brazilian ministry said in a statement.

Rubio’s outreach marks a step toward easing tensions between the two countries exacerbated by the tariffs and U.S. sanctions on top Brazilian officials. The sanctions were tied to the prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup to remain in power after losing his 2022 election bid.

Lula and Trump first met briefly in September during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, when Trump described their interaction as having “great chemistry.”

On Monday, the two leaders spoke for 30 minutes, exchanged phone numbers and Lula reiterated his invitation for Trump to attend the upcoming climate summit in Belem, according to Lula’s office.

Trump later posted on Truth Social that the conversation focused on trade and the economy. “We will be having further discussions and will get together in the not too distant future, both in Brazil and the United States,” he wrote.

The Trump administration imposed a 40% tariff on Brazilian goods in July, on top of a previous 10% tariff. Lula reminded Trump that the U.S. maintains a trade surplus with Brazil, one of only three G20 countries in that category.

The White House has echoed claims by Bolsonaro allies that his prosecution represented a breakdown in the rule of law and that the case was politically motivated.

Despite U.S. pressure, the Brazilian Supreme Court proceeded with Bolsonaro’s trial and sentencing. In the aftermath, Trump said he was “very unhappy” and Rubio said on his X account that the U.S. government would “respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”

Brazilian officials had expected retaliation from the U.S., but Lula expressed an optimistic tone Thursday in comments to a local radio station in which he praised Trump.

“He called me in the kindest way a human being can treat another,” Lula said. “We are two 80-year-olds leading the greatest democracies in the West. We must show the world cordiality and harmony, not discord and conflict.”