Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad stated that any potential phone call between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and U.S. President Donald Trump would require clear guarantees that Lula would not be humiliated in the same way Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was during a past White House visit.
Speaking to CNN Brasil on Tuesday evening, Haddad addressed the ongoing dispute over steep U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods. He said the Brazilian government is working to reopen rational diplomatic channels and avoid confrontations that spiral into political theater. He referred to Zelensky’s experience — when he was harshly criticized by Trump and then-Vice President J.D. Vance — as an “embarrassing episode.”
Tensions between the United States and Brazil have intensified in recent weeks, escalating from a personal feud between Lula and Trump to broader clashes over trade, diplomacy, and strategic influence in Latin America. The situation has further deteriorated amid Trump’s threats to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports beginning August 1.
The potential trade war is part of Trump’s wider campaign to overhaul U.S. trade policy, applying maximum pressure on foreign partners to win more favorable terms for the U.S.
In a separate development, Trump announced that he may skip the G20 summit scheduled to be held in South Africa this November, citing his disapproval of the country’s domestic and foreign policies.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump criticized South Africa’s land reform efforts and its legal action at the International Court of Justice, where Pretoria has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Trump also referenced his February executive order that cut U.S. financial aid to South Africa. In May, during a tense White House meeting, he accused South African President Cyril Ramaphosa of supporting “white genocide” and unlawful land seizures.
Earlier this year, Secretary of State Marco Rubio boycotted a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in South Africa, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the group.
Diplomatic relations between Washington and Pretoria remain strained, with both the Trump and Biden administrations voicing strong opposition to South Africa’s racial equity policies and its stance on the Gaza conflict.
