‘I’ll call Modi, Xi’: Brazil’s Lula turns to BRICS, declines Trump’s offer to talk after tariff spat

Brazilian president turns to Brics after tariff blow

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva declared that that he has no intention of reaching out to US President Donald Trump instead he will reach out to Brics allies like India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s Xi Jinping.

Lula has also described  the day the US imposed steep tariffs on Brazil as “the most regrettable” moment in the history of bilateral relations between the two nations.

“I will call Xi Jinping, I will call Prime Minister Modi. I won’t call Putin, because he can’t travel now. But I will call many presidents,” Lula stated, according to local media reports.

This comes after US President has offered that Brazilian President can call him anytime to discuss tariffs and other friction between the countries.

"He can talk to me anytime he wants," Trump said of Lula, speaking to reporters at the White House. He added he was fond of the Brazilian people, but "the people running Brazil did the wrong thing."

Tensions between US and Brazil escalated after US imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Brazil, to fight what Trump has called a "witch hunt" against former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial on charges of plotting a coup following his election loss in 2022.

“We will use every tool at our disposal to defend our economy,” he stressed.

His emphasis on BRICS nations Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa comes as Trump issues warnings, threatening an additional 10 percent tariff on countries he believes are supporting BRICS policies that conflict with US interests.