Brazil wants meeting with U.S. to go beyond tariff dispute

According to the presidential palace, the federal government cannot sustain its political discourse of national sovereignty if it agrees to remove the 50% tariff without also securing a rollback of the Magnitsky Act sanctions. For Brasília, Washington’s withdrawal of such measures is equally crucial to “reset” tensions between the two governments.

The Magnitsky Act has been used by the White House against several Brazilian officials, including Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his wife, Viviane Barci. Under the law, sanctioned individuals are barred from traveling to the United States and from conducting financial transactions with U.S. companies. The legislation applies to foreign nationals deemed by Washington to have engaged in corruption or human rights abuses.

As part of its strategy, some members of the Lula administration argue that the issue of coffee prices—a matter reportedly worrying Mr. Trump—should not be “handed over on a silver platter” in talks with the U.S. government. The administration is aware that coffee prices could open the door to an agreement, but prefers to wait for an explicit American proposal before making any concessions.

Coffee emerged as a potential bargaining chip after Mr. Trump himself raised the subject with Mr. Lula during a phone call on Monday (6). In that conversation, the U.S. president reportedly complained that rising coffee prices were irritating American consumers. Brasília believes this gives it leverage to place other demands on the table.

These arguments and strategies are part of the government’s preparations as diplomatic contacts between the two countries intensify following the Lula–Trump call. Adding to that momentum, Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira spoke on Thursday (9) morning with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Mr. Trump has appointed as Washington’s lead negotiator with Brazil. The two officials agreed to meet in Washington in the coming days, though the exact date has not yet been set.

According to sources close to the Lula administration, the conversation between Mr. Vieira and Mr. Rubio lasted around 15 minutes and was described as “very good and to the point.”

Following the call, Brazil’s Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that “after a very positive dialogue on the bilateral agenda, both sides agreed that their teams will meet soon in Washington, on a date to be defined, to continue addressing trade and economic issues between the two countries.”

During the call, Mr. Rubio invited Mr. Vieira to join the Brazilian delegation to enable an in-person meeting focused on the priority topics in U.S.–Brazil relations. Aides to President Lula said the composition of Brazil’s delegation is still being determined, alongside the definition of the U.S. team.