The Brazilian president responded to Trump's threats

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned that in the event of a unilateral tariff increase by the United States, his country will use the provisions of the law on economic reciprocity, which implies proportionate counter measures.

"Any measure to raise duties unilaterally will be met with retaliatory actions based on the Brazilian law on economic reciprocity," Lula wrote in his blog on X.

The politician stressed that Brazil is a sovereign state with independent institutions that will not allow external pressure, including in the judicial sphere, referring to recent critical statements by US President Donald Trump about the trial of former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro as a "witch hunt."

The Law on Economic Reciprocity, signed by Lula in April 2025, provides for the possibility of suspending trade and investment preferences, as well as obligations in the field of intellectual property rights in response to unfriendly measures from other countries or economic blocs.

The reason for the introduction of the law was the tariff policy of the Trump administration, which includes a 10 percent duty on all exports from Brazil to the United States and a 25 percent duty on steel and aluminum. These measures cause significant damage to Brazilian exporters, the government stressed at the time.

Lula also called false statements about the alleged existence of a US trade deficit with Brazil. According to him, the statistics of the American government itself indicate a surplus of the United States in bilateral trade in the amount of more than $ 410 billion over the past 15 years.

The head of the Brazilian state concluded that the country will firmly defend its interests in the international arena and seek respect for its sovereignty.