The Brazilian government is seeking a tariff agreement with the US that would prevent the White House from adopting the recommendation of the US Trade Representative (USTR), which suggests imposing an additional 25 percent tariff on some imports from Brazil.

The government believes it is possible, though difficult, to reach a compromise that is more advantageous for both countries than the 25 percent surcharge – because, among other reasons, the US has a trade surplus with Brazil.

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The USTR’s recommendation, announced last week, is the result of an investigation based on Section 301 of the US Trade Act. The argument used is that Brazil engages in “unfair” practices in trade relations.

Brazil countered that the claims are not valid and that the move stems from a bid to interfere in internal affairs and reflects Washington’s unilateral trade protectionism.

The government has been challenging the additional US tariffs, arguing that the average tariff applied by Brazil on US imports is 2.7 percent, which does not justify the claim that US companies would be disadvantaged in accessing the Brazilian market.

New deadline

Brazil is now working toward a July 15 deadline to reach a tariff agreement. That was the date set by the USTR for a decision on the matter. In theory, this deadline could still be extended.

As a result, Brazilian negotiators hope to gain more time, since the initial deadline set after the meeting between Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump in Washington last month was 30 days, which ended on Sunday (Jun. 7).

Challenges

Among the challenges facing the negotiations is the fact that the US is involved in several other tariff talks around the world, in addition to the military conflict it is leading in the Middle East against Iran.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian government is assessing the advisability of a new meeting between Trump and Lula. The two may meet at the G7 summit in France from June 15 to 17. However, no bilateral meeting has been confirmed.

Another challenge in negotiating with the US is that Americans tend to have broad demands – multiple requests across different areas.

For now, Brazil is seeking an agreement specifically on tariff and trade issues, with other topics that might interest the Americans, such as rare earth metals, currently out of the picture. At the same time, the government states that Brazil’s popular instant payment system Pix is not part of any talks with Washington. The US insists that Pix harms US companies.

Slave labor

On the other hand, the additional 10 or 12.5 percent tariff imposed on 60 countries on the grounds that these nations do not effectively combat slave-like labor is viewed by the Brazilian government – which faces a 12.5 percent surcharge – as designed not to be negotiated.

Since this tax is imposed on much of the world, its primary aim is believed to be to reinstate, under new legal and argumentative grounds, the previous tariff that was overturned by the US Supreme Court.

In addition to Brazil, the new tariff affects Washington’s historic allies, such as Japan, the European Union, Canada, and India, as well as Argentina, led by Javier Milei, who has consistently sided with Donald Trump on international issues. It would raise the tax on some products sold to the US by 37.5 percent when added to the existing 25 percent tariff.

The US government’s decision to label Brazilian criminal factions CV (“Comando Vermelho”) and PCC (“Primeiro Comando da Capital”) as terrorist organizations took effect on Friday (Jun. 5), a move that could have economic and geopolitical consequences for the Latin American country. The measure had been announced on May 28.

The Brazilian government criticized the decision, arguing that it leaves room for Washington to interfere in internal affairs under the pretext of combating terrorism. According to a statement from the executive, the fight against crime should occur through international cooperation and with respect for the sovereignty of states over their territories.

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The government and experts also argue that the measure could harm the country’s economy, with repercussions for tourism, investment, foreign trade, and the financial system.

Shield of the Americas

The Trump administration has designated Mexican cartels and criminal organizations in countries such as Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia as terrorist groups.

In March this year, the White House formed a coalition called the Shield of the Americas, bringing together governments ideologically aligned with Trump to theoretically combat drug trafficking, but also to counter the economic influence of geopolitical adversaries such as China and Russia.

The fight against drug trafficking was the justification used to kidnap Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro as well as to pressure Mexico – a move denounced by Mexico’s current President Claudia Sheinbaum as foreign interference in internal affairs.

Brazil will transport food within Bolivia from Santa Cruz de la Sierra to the capital, La Paz. The humanitarian aid comes amid protests demanding the resignation of President Rodrigo Paz.

The operation, whose date has yet to be determined, will be coordinated by Brazil’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agrarian Development in partnership with the Ministry of Defense, which will arrange for an aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB).

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The plane is scheduled to depart from Brasília for La Paz with food supplies aimed at mitigating the effects of roadblocks that have lasted more than three weeks, causing shortages in the Bolivian capital.

After unloading the supplies, the aircraft will transport items provided by Bolivian authorities or other organizations from one city to the other.

Cooperation

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke on Monday (May 25) with Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, who requested humanitarian assistance.

In a press release, the Brazilian government stated that, during his phone call with Rodrigo Paz, Lula reiterated “his solidarity with the Bolivian government and people” and emphasized the importance of “respect for democratic institutions and the rule of law.”

“In this context, he urged the government and social movements to avoid resorting to violence and prioritize dialogue as the path to overcoming differences and preserving social peace,” the statement said.

Crisis

Bolivia is facing a series of protests and roadblocks that have, over the past few weeks, turned into a popular uprising involving peasants, indigenous people, miners, teachers, and other social groups.

Decisions by Bolivia’s new president, who took office just six months ago after nearly 20 years of left-wing dominance, have sparked demonstrations across the country since the start of his term in December 2025, including a decree that eliminated gasoline subsidies.

The protests intensified after peasants and indigenous people accused the government of enacting land laws intended to harm small farmers in favor of large agribusiness interests.

The Bolivian government claims the law was intended to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector, which is facing a severe economic crisis. Under public pressure, the law was repealed, but the protests have continued to grow.

The crackdown on the demonstrations has already resulted in deaths and injuries and the arrest of several leaders.

The Brazilian government, the Prosecution Service, and the country’s scientific community have been working to recover dinosaur fossils and other natural or cultural heritage items scattered across at least 14 countries.

Dubbed scientific colonialism, this practice is said to harm Brazilian science and museums. At least 20 restitution negotiations are underway with these countries, the Ministry of Foreign Relations reported.

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Like the Foreign Ministry, prosecutors in Ceará state are working on the repatriation of fossils. According to them, the US tops the list of countries with the highest number of requests for the return of cultural heritage items, with eight cases pending – followed by Germany (four); the UK (three); Italy (two); and France, Switzerland, Ireland, Portugal, Uruguay, and Japan (one each). The two requests addressed to Spain and the other two sent to South Korea were rejected.

Last month, an agreement between Brazil and Germany promises to repatriate the Irritator challengeri dinosaur, of the spinosaurid family, to the Araripe region in Ceará. The animal, which could reach 14 meters in height, lived in the region about 116 million years ago. The specimen was illegally removed from Brazil and had been at the State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany, since 1991.

Another initiative by the Foreign Ministry, in partnership with Brazilian researchers, also facilitated the return in 2024 of the Tupinambá cloak, worn by Brazilian indigenous peoples in the 17th century and previously held in Denmark. Additionally, in February this year, another 45 original fossils from the region were repatriated from Switzerland.

Illegal sales

The director of the Plácido Cidade Nuvens Museum of Paleontology, in Santana do Cariri city, where part of the Araripe region is located, Professor Allysson Pinheiro, told Agência Brasil that the number reported by the Foreign Ministry does not include the lawsuits filed by federal prosecutors.

“There are several other items currently being negotiated with Germany, and there are Brazilian cultural assets on nearly every continent. Negotiations are underway for repatriations in the US, France, Korea, Japan, and Italy,” he stated.

In Brazil, fossils are protected by a law passed in 1942 which stipulates that natural heritage items must not be privately owned, because they belong to the federal government.

There are exceptions for exporting fossils, which require authorization from Brazil’s Ministry of Science and Technology, and the recipient of the material must be affiliated with a Brazilian institution.

The Ubirajara case

The repatriation of Brazilian cultural heritage assets has gained momentum in recent years, particularly after the small dinosaur Ubirajara jubatus was returned to Brazil in 2023. The specimen is now part of the museum’s collection.

Aline Ghilard, a paleontologist and coordinator of the Dinosaur Laboratory at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), explains that ordinary people began pressuring the German museum as early as 2020, as the institution had been refusing to return the fossil. 

“The museum issued a public statement saying there was nothing irregular about the situation and that the fossil belonged to Germany. The museum’s social media were flooded with comments from Brazilians. That was the turning point in the story,” she said.

Scientific colonialism

Aline Ghilard points out that the case damaged the German institution’s reputation and spurred the agreement to return the material.

“Most European museums are filled with artifacts from territories that were once colonies or that continue to be exploited today under a logic of power asymmetry. These countries feel entitled to come to our territories and collect materials,” she argued.

At least 490 fossils of macroinvertebrate species were illegally extracted from the Araripe region, according to a study published in Palaeontologia Electronica, which looks into research from 1955 to 2025. “Nearly half of all the publications analyzed [104 out of 218 – 47.7 percent] were written exclusively by foreign researchers, with no Brazilian co-authors,” noted Aline Ghilard, who participated in the study.

Another study identified 71 publications, released from 1990 and 2020, that contained analyses of macrofossils from the Araripe dating from the Cretaceous period, between 145 and 66 million years ago. “A large proportion [88%] of the fossils described in these publications were taken from Brazil to be deposited in foreign museum collections and have not yet been returned,” the Royal Society Open Science publication notes.

Some institutions return the fossils voluntarily as soon as they discover they were obtained through illegal sales – as was the case with the spider Cretapalpus vittari. The specimen was returned by the University of Kansas, in the US, in 2021. The animal lived more than 100 million years ago in the Araripe region.

Impact on science 

The illegal export of these fossils has significant consequences for Brazilian science. In most cases, Brazilian researchers are unable to study these materials.

“When all these high-quality fossils are sent abroad, it is foreigners who make the major discoveries that bring scientific and academic prestige. Basically, they’re the only ones producing cutting-edge science because they’re in a self-perpetuating cycle of power,” notes Ghilard.

In her view, repatriating natural heritage breaks the cycle of power that favors wealthier countries. “It could even attract foreign investment, enabling us to compete on equal footing.”

Impact on museums

Allyson Pinheiro, director of the Plácido Cidade Nuvens Museum of Paleontology, said that the return of the Ubirajara fossil has significantly increased both visitor numbers and investment.

“[It] is part of the region’s identity and pride. It is really important to see children embracing these treasures. Dinosaur fossils are a huge draw for this audience and have truly captivated both children and adults,” said the professor from the biological diversity and natural resources program at Urca (Regional University of Cariri).

In 2006, UNESCO designated the Araripe as a global geopark – the first with this designation in Brazil. A UNESCO global geopark is a territory that houses sites and landscapes of international geological significance.

In February 2024, UNESCO included the Araripe Basin, where the Irritator and Ubirajara dinosaurs were found, as a candidate for inclusion on the list of World Heritage Sites designated by the United Nations (UN). 

The region, covering approximately 972 thousand square kilometers, encompasses municipalities in the Brazilian states of Ceará, Piauí, and Pernambuco.