Since the United States expanded tariffs on trading partners throughout 2026, countries such as Canada, Mexico and Brazil have been negotiating case by case to soften the impact of the surcharges imposed by President Donald Trump's administration. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has become the main channel for these bilateral talks, with each country trying to extract different concessions depending on how much its exports rely on the American market.
Against that backdrop, Brazil confirmed a new step. Brazil's Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), Márcio Elias Rosa, will hold a video call with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer next Monday (the 31st) at 2:30pm Brasília time. The meeting was confirmed by MDIC and reported by Jornal GGN and Correio Braziliense.
For the Brazilian government, the meeting reopens a channel that had been stalled since earlier negotiation attempts failed to produce results. According to Elias Rosa, the meeting was set up after an exchange of messages with Greer and marks the first step of a new technical negotiating agenda between the two countries. Brazil's initial goal is to expand the list of products exempted from US tariffs, which currently reach as high as 37.5% on a range of Brazilian exports, according to Jornal GGN. In a later stage, the government plans to negotiate a rollback of the measures altogether.
More than 30 contacts since the tariffs were announced
The Brazilian government says it has made more than 30 contacts with American officials, including trade representatives, since the tariffs were announced. The resumption of talks followed a phone call last week between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Trump that lasted about one hour and twenty minutes and centered on the tariffs, according to Jornal GGN.
The dispute also touches another front of the bilateral relationship: beef. Trump said on Wednesday, in an interview with host Glenn Beck, that he will review regulations in the US meat processing sector, which is currently dominated by four companies, including JBS USA and National Beef, both controlled by the Brazilian groups JBS and MBRF, according to G1. Beef is not currently among the products subject to the 25% tariff, but the episode shows how commercial interests between the two countries overlap well beyond the formal negotiating table.
No date has been set for the talks to conclude. According to MDIC, Monday's meeting marks only the formal resumption of technical dialogue between Brasília and Washington, with no guarantee of an immediate result on lowering tariffs.