Lula open to US tariff talks, says Brazil's democracy off limits

NEW YORK: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he is ready to negotiate with United States (US) President Donald Trump over recently imposed tariffs, following the sentencing of his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro to a long prison term, but warned that Brazil's democracy and sovereignty are non-negotiable, reported German Press Agency (dpa).

"President Trump, we remain open to negotiating anything that can bring mutual benefits. But Brazil's democracy and sovereignty are not on the table," Lula wrote in an opinion piece published in the New York Times on Sunday.

The US recently imposed 50 per cent tariffs on a wide range of Brazilian exports, citing the prosecution of former president Bolsonaro as one of the reasons.

On Thursday, Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn the 2022 election result after losing to Lula. The right-wing leader, seen as a close ally of Trump, led Brazil from 2019 to 2022.

"The tariff increase imposed on Brazil this summer is not only misguided but illogical. The US is not running a trade deficit with our country, nor is it subject to high tariffs," Lula wrote.

"The lack of economic rationale behind these measures makes it clear that the motivation of the White House is political," he said, adding that there are no ideological differences that should stop the two governments from working together where they share goals.

--BERNAMA-dpa