BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday that his nation will be reciprocal on tariffs announced by the United States, but noted the Latin American country will “use every word for negotiation that is in the dictionary” first.
Speaking to journalists after the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit in Honduras, Lula added that after the negotiations Brazil “will make the appropriate decisions.”
Lula da Silva said the country’s first line of defense against U.S. tariffs will be negotiation rather than immediate retaliatory measures.
The leaders of Mexico and Brazil said on Wednesday they would work to strengthen trade between their nations — Latin America’s two biggest economies — as a counterweight to U.S. President Donald Trump’s shifting positions on global tariffs that have thrown markets into chaos.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Lula da Silva met on the sidelines of a regional summit in Honduras, where leaders strategized how to respond Trump’s tariffs and escalating deportations, among other issues.
By REUTERS
Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia; Writing by Andre Romani; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez
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