Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a press conference at Planalto Palace in Brasilia on January 30, 2025. (Photo by EVARISTO SA / AFP)
Brasília: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Thursday that if US President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Brazilian products, he would reciprocate, but that he would prefer improved relations over a trade war.
"It's very simple: if he taxes Brazilian products, Brazil will reciprocate in taxing products that are exported from the United States," the 79-year-old president told a press conference.
The Latin American giant is one of the countries that Trump has named as vulnerable to higher tariffs.
Lula, currently in his third term, highlighted that he had served with both Republicans and Democrats in the White House, and would prefer to improve trade ties rather than battle over tariffs.
"I want to respect the United States and for Trump to respect Brazil. That's all," he said.
"For my part, what I want is to improve our relationship with the United States. Export more if necessary, import more if necessary."
Citing Trump's comments that he plans to take back the Panama Canal or get control of Greenland, Lula said "he just has to respect the sovereignty of other countries."
"I don't care if he's going to fight over Greenland, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Panama Canal. He just has to respect the sovereignty of other countries."
Lula, whose country will host the COP30 climate talks in the Amazonian city of Belem in November, added that Trump's decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord was "a step back for human civilization."
The president held a wide-ranging press conference in the capital Brasilia, urging journalists not to hold back in their questions as his government seeks to highlight its victories and seize the narrative after battling a wave of disinformation.
He said he did not want a COP where "measures are approved, everything looks very nice on paper and then no country complies," slamming wealthy nations for failing to meet promises to give billions of dollars to help developing nations deal with the fallout of climate change.
"We want something very real so that we can know if we are serious or not about the climate issue. This COP30 will be a benchmark for what we want from now on."
