Brazil’s President Lula da Silva fiercely rejected direct talks with President Trump amid an escalating tariff war, insisting he won’t “humiliate” himself or allow the US to dictate terms over Brazil’s sovereignty. Trump’s 50% tariff on Brazilian exports was met not with retaliation, but with Lula’s announcement of a new national minerals policy requiring local value addition before exports. Calling US intervention “unacceptable” and the White House’s approach “authoritarian,” Lula vowed Brazil will avoid isolation and lead on energy transition.
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