LatinNews Daily - 24 August 2026

*Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has held a phone call with US President Donald Trump, in which they discussed various areas of bilateral interest, such as tariffs and security. The call marks their first conversation since Lula travelled to Washington to meet with Trump in May. But bilateral ties have since deteriorated, with tensions rising in recent months over issues such as the application of new US tariffs on Brazil, the US decision to designate Brazil’s most powerful drug gangs as terrorist groups, and the US’ recent revocation of the visa of Brazil’s ambassador in Washington. According to a Brazilian government statement about the 21 August Lula-Trump call, Trump and Lula agreed on the importance of preserving trade relations and that officials from both governments should resume talks on tariffs. The statement also cites Lula as saying during the call that the justifications for the new US tariffs on Brazil, which include claims of unfair trade practices and ineffective prevention of forced labour, were “baseless”. As regards security, the statement said that Lula reiterated to Trump that Brazil already has measures to combat organised crime without the need for a terrorism designation and that Trump expressed a willingness to continue discussing bilateral cooperation on tackling transitional crime. A separate press release issued by Brazil’s ministry of development, industry, trade, and services (MDIC) said that, following the Lula-Trump call, it had been contacted by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer regarding a meeting aimed at resuming negotiations. It said MDIC Minister Márcio Elias Rosa and foreign ministry officials are expected to meet next week with the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). The international media cited a US White House official as confirming the Lula-Trump call but did not provide details, while the US has yet to issue an official statement on it.

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