Lula says negotiations with the US require caution: "There's a limit."

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated this Sunday that negotiations with the United States over the new tariffs imposed by Donald Trump require caution and diplomatic responsibility, asserting that there is a "limit for discussion" with the U.S. government.

"I can't say everything I think I should say. I have to say what's possible," Lula said during a meeting of the Workers' Party (PT), the party he leads.

Without directly mentioning Trump, the Brazilian president denounced Washington's tariff policy, which seeks to punish the country economically for political reasons, as "unacceptable."

"We want to be respected for our size. We are not an insignificant republic," the president stressed.

During his speech, Lula also asserted that his government is not afraid of confrontations and said that, although Brazil does not want confusion, it should not be thought "that we are afraid. We are not."

The president recalled that his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, and Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira have already presented concrete proposals to the U.S. government and that channels of dialogue remain open.

Last Friday, Lula reiterated that he is "open to dialogue" on tariffs with the Republican leader, after Trump suggested the possibility of a conversation between the two.

However, the Brazilian president clarified that "those who define Brazil's direction are Brazilians and their institutions," following the White House's attacks on the South American country's Supreme Court over the attempted coup trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro.

After the U.S. government announced 50% tariffs on several Brazilian products in retaliation for the "witch hunt" Trump claims is being waged against Bolsonaro in Brazil, last week it sanctioned Judge Alexandre de Moraes, the judge in the case against Bolsonaro, with a law that blocks his assets in the U.S. and prohibits transactions with Americans.