Vieira says meeting with Rubio was “very productive” and avoids giving details

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira held a meeting lasting about an hour and ten minutes this Thursday (16) at the White House in Washington (USA). He was received by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The topic was that country's surcharge on Brazilian imports.

At a press conference in the US capital, Vieira didn't provide many details. He described the meeting as "very productive and focused on the practical aspects" of the US taxation issue.

The meeting was considered crucial to unraveling a trade agenda between the two countries, which has been stalled since August, when Trump instituted additional sanctions that amounted to 50% in tariffs on various agricultural and industrial sectors.

On the agenda, in addition to tariffs, were also the U.S. government's sanctions imposed on Brazilian officials. No one knows for sure how the other political issues listed in Washington's first letter to the Planalto Palace, which linked the tariff reduction to conditions regarding the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), were addressed.

However, with the end of the trial by the Supreme Federal Court (STF) and the emphasis of the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government on national sovereignty, the expectation is that the pragmatic perspective will begin to override the political one.