Brazilian and US Foreign Ministers Mauro Vieira and Marco Rubio met in Canada this Wednesday (November 12, 2025) to advance negotiations aimed at eliminating the 50% tariff imposed by Washington on Brazilian exports, official sources reported.
The meeting was held in Niagara-on-the-Lake on the sidelines of the G7 ministerial meeting, a group of the world’s major economies, in which Brazil was a guest.
“During the meeting, Mr. Vieira mentioned the current status of bilateral negotiations with the United States in a conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio,” Brazil’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a message published on social networks along with a photo of the two foreign ministers talking.
The diplomats agreed to hold new face-to-face talks in the coming weeks to discuss the status of the talks and lift obstacles to dialogue, a Brazilian Foreign Ministry official said.
Mr. Vieira used the conversation to remind Mr. Rubio that Brazil had sent a formal negotiation proposal to the U.S. government on November 4, following a virtual meeting between the two countries’ technical teams.
The prime minister stressed that these efforts are in response to the guidance received from President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and President Donald Trump, who raised the issue at a meeting in Malaysia last month.
Starting in August, the Trump administration imposed 50% tariffs on most Brazilian imports in retaliation for allegations of political persecution by former President Bolsonaro, an ally of the Republican leader.
Signs of US easing
The Brazilian government argues that the restrictions do not make economic sense because the United States has been running a trade surplus with Brazil for several years.
According to official Brazilian sources, the Lula government’s intention in the current negotiations is to achieve an immediate end to the surcharge, while moving towards a broader understanding that includes trade in rare earths and strategic minerals.
The US government has already shown signs of flexibility, with President Trump on Tuesday mentioning on social networks the possibility of lowering some tariffs on coffee imports as part of a strategy to curb domestic inflation.
Coffee is one of Brazil’s main exports to the United States, but along with meat, it was not included in the list of items exempted from paying additional duties.
“We have heard the news about coffee here in Canada as well, but so far we have not heard anything from the authorities. We hope they will communicate something through the embassy. This is very important for the Brazilian economy and would be a very welcome step,” Vieira said in a statement to Brazilian reporters in Canada.
The talks between the two governments came after months of tension, including personal sanctions against Brazilian officials and the cancellation of the visa of a Supreme Court judge who oversaw the case in which Bolsonaro was convicted.
mg (efe, Correio Brazilianense)
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