Story
Sep 17, 2026
Milwaukee Talks Test Whether Brazil Can Soften U.S. Tariffs
Brazil is pursuing diplomacy to reduce U.S. tariff pressure, while Washington maintains that its measures address trade barriers and supply-chain concerns. The Milwaukee meeting will test whether their resumed dialogue can narrow that divide.
Brazilian and U.S. trade officials are expected to meet alongside the G20 ministers’ gathering in Milwaukee on September 30 and October 1, in what would be the first in-person session of the latest tariff negotiations. Brazilian Development, Industry and Trade Minister Márcio Elias Rosa said he and Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira would likely meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer; for now, the sides are “only exchanging documents and arranging this next meeting.”1
Both Brazilian perspectives portray the encounter as a diplomatic opening, but emphasize different parts of the dispute. Coverage focused on the government’s position says Brasília rejects the U.S. measures as unilateral and inconsistent with multilateral trade rules.1 It notes that Washington imposed a 25% surcharge in July on products including iron, steel, clothing, footwear, sugar, ethanol and machinery, followed by a separate 12.5% charge on other goods.2
The more government-aligned account frames the meeting as an effort to turn technical contacts into concrete relief for exporters. Brasília’s central aim is to reduce or remove the surcharges, which can add up to 37.5% on products covered by both measures, while keeping issues it considers essential national interests off the negotiating table.3 Although Brazil has a legal mechanism to respond to unilateral trade actions, it has so far prioritized negotiations.
Washington, by contrast, has tied the tariffs to allegations that Brazilian practices burden or restrict U.S. farmers, workers, innovators and exporters, and has cited what it says are inadequate safeguards against imports made with forced labor.2 Another account says U.S. concerns have also included market access, Brazil’s Pix payments system, digital-platform court decisions, deforestation, corruption and intellectual property.4
There is no timetable for an agreement. Still, the two sides share an interest in keeping the channel open: Brazil hopes to broaden exemptions and lower rates, while the U.S. enters the talks with its stated complaints still unresolved. Some agricultural goods, petroleum, natural gas, civil aircraft, Embraer components, pulp and medicines have already been excluded from certain charges.4