Brazil Seeks Emergency Bilateral Meeting with Trump at G7 to Head Off Trade Surcharges

Brazil Seeks Emergency Bilateral Meeting with Trump at G7 to Head Off Trade Surcharges

Brazilian diplomats have launched a behind-the-scenes offensive at the G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains in an effort to neutralize the impact of new tariff barriers signaled by the U.S. administration. Sources close to the presidential delegation confirm that Brazil is considering extending its official stay on French soil with the sole purpose of securing a strictly bilateral meeting between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump.

The move comes amid heightened anxiety in global markets, driven by the upcoming review of the USMCA trade agreement and Washington's threats to impose severe tariffs on international partners. For Brazil, the primary areas of concern are the manufacturing, commodities, and steel sectors, which are historically sensitive to shifts in American protectionist policies.

Although Brazil is attending the G7 as an invited nation for expanded dialogue panels, the priority for the economic team and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) has shifted toward direct diplomacy. The strategy to extend the schedule in France aims to open a private channel of negotiation with Trump before the American leader returns to Washington or proceeds to his scheduled bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Palace of Versailles.

According to interlocutors from the Brazilian delegation, the central argument to be presented to Trump is that blanket surcharges disrupt integrated supply chains and risk destabilizing the hemispheric trade balance. The delegation is looking to carve out a safeguard or an exemption framework for Brazilian products, mitigating billions of dollars in potential losses for the country's exports.

About the Brazilian Delegation at the G7

Brazil is participating in the extended sessions of the G7 Summit in France at the invitation of the host country. Alongside its bilateral agenda focused on U.S. trade, the nation remains engaged in official forums covering global governance, balanced energy transition, and the ethical regulation of Artificial Intelligence.