Brasilia - Saba:
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva described US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 50% tariffs on Brazilian exports as "unacceptable blackmail" on Thursday evening.
In a speech, the Brazilian president affirmed that his country would use "all legal tools" to protect its economy from the tariff threats announced by US President Donald Trump.
President Lula said, "Brazil is not a confrontational country, but a country of dialogue, but it has dignity and sovereignty."
He added that "the government will resort to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Reciprocity Law, passed by the National Congress, to defend Brazil's interests," noting that "Brazil has only one owner: the Brazilian people." On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on all Brazilian products entering the US market, effective August 1, 2025. This is an escalation of what he called "a series of punitive measures" against Brazil.