Brazil will strengthen ties with India, China, Lula rejects calling Trump

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Tuesday that he will not call US President Donald Trump, saying Trump does not want to talk. Lula referred to the day the tariffs were imposed as "the most regrettable" day in the bilateral relations between the countries. Instead, Lula said will speak with other world leaders, including India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "I will call Xi Jinping, I will call Prime Minister Modi. I won’t call Putin, because he can’t travel now. But I will call many Presidents," Lula said and added that his country would use all available resources, including the Word Trade Organization, to defend its interests as the US prepares to impose tariffs on Brazilian goods.

Earlier, Trump had said Lula could "call him anytime" to talk about trade. Brazil’s finance minister, Fernando Haddad, welcomed Trump’s move and said Lula would be ready to take such a call. However, Lula has made it clear that he will not be the one to start the conversation with Trump. In a final attempt to ease tensions, a delegation of Brazilian senators travelled to Washington last month to present economic arguments and press for cooperation. They found that many US views on Brazil were “ideologically charged”. Brazilian officials have admitted they struggled to access key decision-makers in the White House

As per local media reports, the United States imposed an additional 40% tariff on Brazil, bringing the total tariff amount to 50% on Brazilian imports. This has caused a serious strain between the two countries. Lula said Brazil will use all available tools, including the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to defend its trade interests.