Letter on United States Tariffs — Joint Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services

In light of the announcement by the U.S. Government regarding the imposition of tariffs on Brazilian exports to the United States, Vice President and Minister of Development, Geraldo Alckmin, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, sent a letter yesterday, July 15, to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, with the following content:

1. The Brazilian Government expresses its indignation at the announcement, made on July 9, of the imposition of a 50% import tariff on all products exported from Brazil to the United States, effective August 1. The imposition of these tariffs will have a very negative impact on key sectors of both economies, jeopardizing a historically strong and deep economic partnership between our countries. Over two centuries of bilateral relations between Brazil and the United States, trade has proven to be one of the most important foundations of cooperation and prosperity between the two largest economies in the Americas.

2. Since before the announcement of reciprocal tariffs on April 2, 2025, and continuously since then, Brazil has engaged in good-faith dialogue with U.S. officials in search of alternatives to enhance bilateral trade, despite Brazil running large trade deficits with the United States in both goods and services, totaling nearly USD 410 billion over the past 15 years, according to U.S. Government data. To advance these negotiations, Brazil has repeatedly requested that the U.S. Government identify specific areas of concern.

3. In this same spirit, on May 16, 2025, the Brazilian Government submitted a confidential draft proposal outlining areas for negotiation where mutually agreed solutions could be further explored.

4. The Brazilian Government is still awaiting a response from the U.S. to its proposal.

5. Based on these considerations and in light of the urgency of the matter, the Government of Brazil reiterates its interest in receiving comments from the U.S. Government on the Brazilian proposal. Brazil remains ready to engage in dialogue with U.S. authorities and to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution on the trade-related aspects of the bilateral agenda, with the aim of preserving and deepening the historic relationship between our countries and mitigating the harmful impacts of the tariff increases on our bilateral trade.