Lula and Trump discussed tariffs, organized crime in phone call, Brazil says

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left, and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump agreed in a phone call Tuesday to intensify cooperation in the fight against organized crime, the Brazilian presidency said. AFP-Yonhap

BRASILIA/SAO PAULO — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, when both leaders spoke about trade, the economy and fighting organized crime, the Brazilian Presidential Palace said.

Lula thanked Trump for his decision to remove additional tariffs on U.S. imports of Brazilian goods including coffee and beef, and added that Brazil seeks to progress on talks about products still affected by the levies, the palace said in a statement.

Trump last month removed the 40 percent tariffs on several Brazilian food products, which also included cocoa and fruits, that he had announced in July to punish Brazil over the prosecution of its former president, Trump ally Jair Bolsonaro.

During the 40-minute call on Tuesday, which the palace called “very productive,” Lula also stressed the urgency of strengthening cooperation with the United States to fight international organized crime, according to the statement.

Brazil’s finance minister said last week that the country would seek U.S. cooperation in fighting organized crime in its fuel sector, after a police operation flagged money laundering by Delaware-based firms to help one of the worst tax dodgers in the South American country.

Lula and Trump agreed to speak again soon, according to the palace’s statement. The two leaders spoke amid recent U.S. actions in the region, including a massive military buildup in the Caribbean and three months of U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats off Venezuela’s coast.