Lula says no problem calling Trump to discuss tariffs

SAO PAULO (Reuters)-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday (29) that he sees no problem talking to US President Donald Trump to reach an agreement and avoid fees between countries on the eve of the entry into force of US rates on the 2nd.

“When I feel the need to talk to President Trump, I won’t have any problems calling him,” Lula told reporters in Hanoi during an official trip to Vietnam. “When he thinks he’s interested in talking to me, I hope he has no problem calling me. It’s not because we have ideological disagreements that two presidents can’t talk.”

Lula, who has said that Brazil will resort to the World Trade Organization (WTO) against US tariffs on Brazilian producers, or even imposing reciprocal tariffs, said the country is negotiating with Americans.

“Before doing the fight of reciprocity or the WTO fight, we want to spend all the words in our dictionary to make a free trade with the US,” said Lula, who recalled previous meetings of Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, with representatives of US commerce.

Trump has already announced the imposition of a 25% rate for all cars manufactured outside the United States, scheduled to take effect on April 2, and Brazil had exports of steel and aluminum taxed also 25% since March 12. The expectation is that new measures can come.

“The US just has to know that they are not alone on planet Earth. Just look at the map of the world that we will realize that the US is linked to many other countries and if it (country) takes a unilateral attitude, I think this may not be so good for the US.”

The president returns on Sunday to Brazil, after an official trip to Vietnam, which resulted in the opening of the Vietnamese market for Brazilian meat, an invitation for Brazil for Vietnam to participate in the BRICS summit this year, and mentions to an aviation agreement between countries.

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira also reinforced on Saturday the goal of reaching bilateral trade between countries from US $ 15 billion by 2030, after flow of more than $ 7 billion in 2024.

Embraer & JBS

Lula returned to comment on the conversations he has been doing to try Embraer aircraft in the Asian market, after saying on Friday that Vietnam could buy planes from the Brazilian manufacturer.

“We are discussing with them the need to get Embraer to sell some aircraft here … some not, a perspective of 50 planes,” Lula said on Saturday.

A Brazilian authority told Reuters last week that Embraer is in negotiations for a possible sale of ten E190 jets of narrow fuselage for Vietnam Airlines. The two companies did not comment.

Lula also confirmed an agreement by the JBS food processor involving operations in the Vietnamese country.

Last week, Reuters reported, citing sources, that the food giant was considering building a meat processing factory in northern Vietnam, its first in Asia, if there was an opening of the Vietnamese market to Brazilian meat, which was announced by Lula the day before.

Earlier this Saturday, during a meeting with entrepreneurs in Hanoi, Lula stated that a Brazilian company would invest $ 100 million for meat processing in Vietnam.

Embraer and JBS were part of the business delegation that accompanied Lula on his trip to Vietnam.