Lula to Record: We have to go to the WTO and join forces with other countries taxed by the US

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told TV Record on Thursday, the 10th, that he supports Brazil joining other countries taxed by the United States to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) through an appeal. The statements come a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a 50% trade tariff on Brazilian products.

Currently, Lula said that the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services (MDIC) are already in talks with the United States. "From a diplomatic standpoint, we have to appeal to the WTO. You can, together with the WTO, find a group of countries that have been taxed by the United States and file an appeal with the WTO. If none of this yields results, we will have to enact the Reciprocity Law," he stated.

At the time, Lula considered that US President Donald Trump's letter was "no harsher" than previous statements he had made. He then recalled Trump's statements against the creation of an alternative currency to the dollar, a measure currently under discussion among the BRICS countries.

"We are interested in creating a currency for trade between other countries. I'm not obliged to buy dollars to establish trade relations with Venezuela, Bolivia, Chile, Sweden, the European Union, or China. We can do it in our own currencies," said Lula. The Brazilian president said that if Trump disagrees, he should take the matter to an international forum to discuss the matter "in a civilized manner."