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Brazil and USA held a virtual meeting between the United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, and the MDIC minister, Márcio Fernando Elias Rosa. According to G1, the meeting continued the bilateral agenda defined after the three-hour meeting between Lula and Trump at the White House on May 7, when the two governments agreed to create a working group with a 30-day deadline to negotiate tariffs and end the Section 301 investigation.
Brazil and USA continued the commercial rapprochement initiated at the meeting between Presidents Lula and Trump at the White House. The United States Trade Representative held a videoconference with the MDIC minister, Márcio Fernando Elias Rosa, to address issues that remained pending after the presidential meeting on May 7. The American authority celebrated on social media what it called the Brazilian government’s “constructive engagement” and stated that it looks forward to the continuation of discussions between the two countries.
The virtual meeting takes place within the 30-day deadline that Brazil and USA agreed upon to present concrete progress on the open trade disputes. The working group created at the meeting between Trump and Lula brings together the MDIC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the United States Department of Commerce, with the mission to negotiate the removal of tariffs imposed by the American government on Brazilian products and to evaluate the conclusion of the investigation known as Section 301. The clock is already ticking.
What was agreed at the meeting between Trump and Lula
The May 7 meeting between the two presidents lasted about three hours and was classified by both sides as positive. Trump used social media to call the meeting “very good” and praised Lula, describing the Brazilian president as “very dynamic.” On the Brazilian side, Minister Márcio Elias Rosa classified the meeting as “excellent” and highlighted that commercial topics dominated the agenda.
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Among the topics discussed were import tariffs on Brazilian products, investments by Brazilian and US companies in both countries, the exploration of rare earths and critical minerals, and the ways to end the Section 301 investigation. Lula proposed the creation of the bilateral working group with a 30-day deadline to assess the situation or reach a conclusion. The Brazilian government’s expectation is that the result will include the conclusion of Section 301.
The Section 301 investigation and what is at stake
Section 301 is an instrument of United States trade legislation that allows the government to investigate and retaliate against practices considered unfair by other countries. In the case of Brazil, the investigation was opened at Trump’s request and includes among its targets the PIX, classified by the American government as a system that harms U.S. payment companies like Visa and Mastercard.
The White House report argues that the Brazilian Central Bank gives preferential treatment to PIX and that the mandatory adherence for institutions with more than 500,000 accounts creates disadvantages for foreign providers. For Brazil and the U.S., resolving the Section 301 issue within the 30-day deadline is considered the decisive test of rapprochement. The Brazilian government, in turn, argues that PIX is a public policy for financial inclusion, not a trade barrier.
Tariffs on Brazilian products at the center of the negotiation
Brazilian products currently face a reciprocal tariff of 10% imposed by the Trump administration, in addition to specific tariffs of 25% on steel and aluminum. The stated goal of Brazil and the U.S. in the ongoing negotiations is to find a formula that reduces or eliminates these barriers, paving the way to expand bilateral trade flow.
Minister Rosa reported that the meeting at the White House also addressed investments by Brazilian companies in the United States and American companies in Brazil. The Brazilian government’s strategy is to demonstrate that the trade relationship between Brazil and the U.S. is two-way — and that the country is not only a commodity exporter but also an investor and industrial partner. Lula said he wants the United States to see Brazil as an important partner, not as a target of retaliation.
What Lula said was not discussed
In the press conference after the meeting with Trump, Lula revealed that two widely expected topics were not on the agenda: the classification of Brazilian criminal factions as terrorist organizations and the PIX. Regarding the factions, the president stated that Brazil made clear its interest in intensifying the fight against organized crime and proposed the creation of an international working group on the subject.
Regarding PIX, Lula was ironic. He said he brought Finance Minister Dario Durigan with the expectation of addressing the issue, but since Trump did not bring it up, neither did he. In the end, he declared that he hopes Trump “will one day make a PIX, because many American companies already do.” The absence of PIX in the conversation was interpreted by analysts as a sign that the American government may be willing to negotiate the issue out of the spotlight, in the technical working group.
The next steps between Brazil and the U.S.
The videoconference between Greer and Rosa is the first formal development of the bilateral agenda since the meeting at the White House. The 30-day deadline agreed upon by the two governments expires at the beginning of June, and the expectation is that new rounds of negotiation will take place by then. Brazil and the U.S. need to present concrete results if they want to sustain the narrative that the rapprochement between Lula and Trump has produced practical effects.
The scenario is delicate. On one side, the Brazilian government seeks to eliminate tariffs and end the Section 301 investigation without making concessions that compromise public policies like PIX. On the other, the United States wants to demonstrate that commercial pressure has produced results. The rapprochement between Lula and Trump created the window, but the bilateral working group is the arena where these two agendas will meet — and possibly collide. The outcome depends on how far each side is willing to go.
Do you think Brazil and the USA will be able to close a trade deal in 30 days, or will the deadline pass without concrete results? What worries you more: the tariffs on steel, the investigation on PIX, or the relationship with China in the background? Tell us in the comments.
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