Brazil, US Agree to Tariff Working Group After Lula-Trump Meeting

Brazilian President Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump agreed to establish a working group on tariffs during their meeting in Washington on Thursday. The group will negotiate a solution within 30 days, according to Lula, who proposed the mechanism.

The meeting, which lasted three hours, also discussed rare earth minerals, with Brazil seeking to position itself as a major global player. Lula resisted pressure to align Brazil exclusively with the US on critical minerals but did not shut the door on American investments.

The visit was seen as a win for Lula, with the two presidents avoiding contentious issues such as the possible classification of Brazilian criminal factions as terrorist organizations.

The immediate outlook is for intense discussions between the two sides, with a potential announcement at the G7 summit in France next month. The Brazilian Congress has passed a bill creating a legal framework for critical minerals and rare earths, which could be approved by the Senate as early as this month.