Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira says US demanded unconditional market opening

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira accused the United States of seeking a "capitulation" of Brazil by demanding total, unrestricted and exclusive access for U.S. firms to entire sectors of the Brazilian economy without any reciprocal concessions. He said the U.S. request amounted to "opening the market completely to the United States without any counterpart for Brazilian products."

Vieira rejected a newly announced U.S. 25 % tariff on a range of Brazilian goods, which Washington justified as a response to "unfair" trade practices. He dismissed the tariff’s rationale as politically motivated and rebuked comments by U.S. State Department official Marco Rubio, stating that Rubio’s reference to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s “ego” was a false portrayal of Brazil’s negotiating stance. Vieira highlighted over 30 meetings between the two governments since March 2025 and pledged to defend Brazil’s sovereignty and the interests of its businesses and workers.