US to hold WTO talks with Brazil over tariff dispute

The United States has agreed to Brazil’s request to open consultations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) over steep tariffs imposed by Washington, according to a letter made public on the WTO website.

Brazil filed the request earlier this month after President Donald Trump slapped 50% duties on more than a third of Brazilian exports to the U.S., including coffee, beef, and sugar. The move marked some of the highest tariffs issued by Trump, who accused Brazil of targeting his ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, now facing trial over alleged coup-plotting.

“The United States accepts the request of Brazil to enter into consultations,” the U.S. delegation wrote in the August 15 letter. Washington said it was prepared to meet with Brazilian officials “at a mutually convenient date,” but cautioned that certain issues raised “are matters of national security” that fall outside WTO arbitration.

The WTO consultation process is designed to encourage negotiation before disputes proceed to formal adjudication.

Trump’s tariff order argued that recent policies by Brazil’s government posed risks to U.S. economic and national security interests.

Notably, unlike most countries hit by Trump’s trade measures, the U.S. maintains a trade surplus with Brazil.