The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has downplayed the increase in tariffs that the United States has applied to Brazilian exports. Although he has reiterated that they will remain "at the negotiating table with our proposals," he has made it clear that they are not going to be "crying" over what they cannot sell in the U.S. market if there are other potential customers.
"We are going to be at the negotiating table with our proposals (...) We are not going to cry over what we could not sell them because we are going to look for other buyers," Lula stated during the announcement of a package of measures aimed at addressing the 25% tariffs set by Washington.
The Brazilian leader detailed this Wednesday a support program totaling 18.5 billion reais (3.2 billion euros), aimed at the sectors most affected by these surcharges, including the steel industry, wood, textiles, and fertilizers, as well as activities impacted by the war in the Middle East, according to the G1 portal.
"There is no bad that does not come for good," the president pointed out, defending that the economy also consists of "seeking solutions" in the face of adverse scenarios like the current one. In that line, he emphasized that "there is no crisis that prevents Brazil from continuing to grow."
Lula highlighted that the country is expanding commercial horizons: "We are learning to interact and communicate with people with whom it previously seemed impossible, learning other languages and becoming familiar with other currencies. We are negotiating with other countries to obtain greater income (...) Brazil is big, respected, and credible in the international market," he emphasized.
At the same time, he stressed that trade with the United States continues to be advantageous for the U.S. side and warned that "no one will defeat Brazil by lying," referring to the alleged lack of flexibility that, according to Washington, Brazil would have shown during the talks.
"We never found reciprocity in the conversation," Lula denounced, who reiterated that his government will not abandon dialogue and will continue to pressure U.S. authorities "to demonstrate that they had some reason" to raise tariffs on Brazilian products.