Lula asks Trump to lift 40% tariff on Brazilian imports

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva asked U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday to lift a 40 percent tariff the United States added to Brazilian imports, pressing for the removal of related restrictive measures on Brazilian officials during a 30-minute phone call in which the leaders exchanged phone numbers and agreed to continue talks. Lula reiterated an invitation for Trump to attend the COP30 climate summit in Belém and offered to travel to Washington or meet at an international summit to further discussions, according to a statement from the Brazilian presidency.

Trump posted on his social media platform that the call was "very good" and "mostly focused on the Economy, and Trade, between our two Countries," and said the leaders would meet again in the near future. Brazil's finance minister Fernando Haddad called the conversation positive, and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin described it as better than expected.

The United States in July imposed an additional 40 percent tariff on certain Brazilian goods on top of an earlier 10 percent levy, bringing the combined duties on some products to 50 percent. The Trump administration has said the measures respond to what it...