Petrobras: The news that Braskem is negotiating assets was a bad surprise, says Magda

RIO - Petrobras president Magda Chambriard described as a "bad surprise" the news that Braskem is in talks with Unipar about "potential opportunities involving assets and/or equity interests" of the company and its subsidiaries, including the possibility of selling assets in the United States .

"We have a corporate issue to resolve, but we're a partner and we're not small. We have the right to veto this deal. I was very surprised they didn't inform Petrobras. What we did was notify Braskem to signal that the partners are here and we won't let it go," he says.

The executive spoke to the press during the event "Energia Delas: Empoderamento Feminino nas Instituições" (Their Energy: Female Empowerment in Institutions), organized by Petrobras to discuss gender equality in public and private institutions and promote the exchange of experiences on the role of women in leadership positions.

Estadão/Broadcast had learned the day before that Unipar is analyzing documents to formalize a proposal to acquire Braskem's US subsidiary . The offer could exceed US$1 billion, but a final value still depends on a more in-depth analysis of the subsidiary's financials.

The prospect of a sale comes at a time of worsening financial situation at Braskem, which on Thursday, the 7th, released yet another balance sheet with a loss.

When questioned by journalists, Magda said that the possibility of the Braskem deal came about due to "market buzz."

"Yesterday (Thursday, 7th) we received (Nelson) Tanure at Petrobras as someone interested in buying Braskem. But what we signaled is that no one starts a business by ignoring their own partner. An absolutely relevant partner," he said.

Braskem is controlled by Novonor (formerly Odebrecht) and Petrobras. Tanure is negotiating Novonor's stake. On July 17, Braskem reported that the General Superintendence of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (CADE) had approved, without restrictions, the potential transaction involving Novonor's shares with Petroquímica Verde Fundo de Investimento em Participações — an investment vehicle owned by Tanure.

According to Magda, Tanure told William França, Petrobras' director of Industrial Processes and Products, and Fernando Melgarejo, its finance and IR director, that he had no involvement in the incidents so far. Tanure attributed the incidents to banks linked to Braskem, according to Magda.

'Anyone who bets against Petrobras will lose money'

Magda reiterated that "anyone who bets against Petrobras will lose money." On a day when the company's shares fell sharply in response to the state-owned company's quarterly results —the company posted a net profit of US$4.7 billion in the second quarter of 2025, leaving behind a loss of US$344 million in the same period the previous year—Magda assessed that the company continues to demonstrate its ability to generate cash and that the results of its assets reflect that the work being done has yielded results for shareholders.

For the president of Petrobras, the negative reaction of the Stock Exchange this Friday, 8 , is not linked exclusively to the dividends and the statement released on Thursday night, 7, about returning to the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

"There are known facts, some even recurring at this time of year, such as the payment of special participations, which analysts did not price in and which then generated greater expectations than would be appropriate. This, combined with the 'scare' of the return to distribution, culminated in this pessimism," he said.