President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said his government will continue negotiating with the United States after 25% tariffs were imposed on Brazilian products.
Lula made the remarks on Wednesday during the announcement of 18.5 billion reais in aid for affected companies, the third stage of the Brasil Soberano plan. He stressed that Brazil would remain at the negotiating table and challenged the United States to justify the tariffs.
The president also noted that Brazil would seek new markets for products traditionally exported to the United States. He repeated that accusations of unfair trade practices are based on lies, citing the US surplus in bilateral trade.
Minister Márcio Elias Rosa said there had been no retreat in the government's position. The reciprocity law allows retaliation measures, but there is no immediate need to apply them, he added.
