La Jornada: Lula was taken by surprise by the White House’s decision to apply new tariffs to Brazil

Rio de Janeiro. The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, stated that the decision of the United States government to apply 25 percent tariffs on products from his country took him by surprise, since in the meeting he held with Donald Trump at the White House on May 7 no conclusion was reached on the issue.

“That is why we are surprised with the decision of another statement, of other tariffs for Brazil,” Lula said at a meeting of the council of ministers at the Planalto Palace.

The Brazilian leader explained that, during the meeting, “there was divergence” between the trade ministers of the two countries and he proposed to Trump to give them a period of 30 days to reach an agreement.

“I left there convinced that we were establishing a new logic in the democratic and civilized relationship between Brazil and the US, and I confess that I was surprised yesterday and the day before yesterday with your decision,” Lula reiterated to his ministers.

Without directly quoting Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula criticized that there is “an imbecile” who does not perceive that measures such as new tariffs on Brazilian products are going to harm the country and not an adversary at the polls.

Lula attributes the recommendation of a 25 percent rate on certain Brazilian products to pressure from the Bolsonaro family on the Trump administration.

Lula said Brazil still wants to strengthen institutional ties with the United States, but warned that it could look for other trading partners after the threat.