The Brazilian government condemned the revocation of the visa of its ambassador to the United States, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, announced on Tuesday (Aug. 4). The US government justified the measure by citing Brazil’s delay in granting agrément to the Trump administration’s nominee to head the US Embassy in Brazil.

Brazil refuted the allegations, stating they were false.

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“The Brazilian government condemns the decision announced today by the US State Department to change the visa status of Brazil’s ambassador in Washington. Both justifications are false.”

In a statement released by the government’s Communications Secretariat, Brazil asserted that the US violated the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations by disclosing the name of its nominee to head the US Embassy in Brazil. According to the government, the nominee’s name could only be made public after the host country had granted agrément.

The US request, the statement adds, is still under review, and “the Vienna Convention does not stipulate a deadline for granting agrément.”

“Hostile measures”

The Brazilian government also cited the denial of entry to two US government officials, saying the measure was justified because the purpose of their visit was to cast doubt on Brazil’s electoral system.

“It is also obvious that there is an unwarranted interest in interfering in the upcoming presidential election.”

The statement asserts that the revocation of the ambassador’s visa is part of a “deliberate escalation of hostile measures” against Brazil.

“This decision is not an isolated incident. It is part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, motivated by ideological considerations incompatible with a bilateral partnership that has always been guided by mutual respect.”

The Planalto presidential palace noted that Brazilian officials, including government officials and justices of the Supreme Court, remain subject to sanctions under the Magnitsky Act, imposed by the US government in retaliation for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction for attempting a coup d’état. It also emphasized that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been working to foster understanding between the two countries.

“The Brazilian government has spared no effort to resolve these differences. During his visit to Washington last May, President Lula himself asked President Trump, among other things, to lift the individual sanctions.”

The White House announced a one-year extension of the US national emergency regarding Brazil. The decision keeps in effect the executive order signed by the US president on July 30, 2025, declaring that the Brazilian government’s policies and actions pose an “unusual and extraordinary” threat to US national security, foreign policy, and the economy.

The statement was released on Tuesday (Jul. 28) and will be published on Wednesday (29) in the Federal Register, the official gazette of the US government. It will also be forwarded to the US Congress. With this renewal, the national emergency will remain in effect until at least July 30, 2027.

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In its justification, the US government states that the conditions that gave rise to Executive Order 14323 continue to exist. According to the text, members of the Brazilian government are adopting policies and practices that interfere with the US economy, violate human rights, restrict the freedom of expression of US citizens, and undermine the country’s interests in protecting its citizens and businesses.

The document also cites actions by Brazil’s Supreme Court. According to the White House, the Court’s decisions ordering the removal of online content and the arrest of individuals for protesting are examples of “censorship” and continue to pose a threat to US interests.

The US government also reiterated that a former Brazilian president, his family, and his supporters are being subjected to political persecution, which, according to the White House, undermines the rule of law and contributes to human rights violations in Brazil.

US offensive

The US renewal of the national emergency comes after a year of escalating tensions between the US and Brazilian governments. Since the executive order was issued in July 2025, the Trump administration has adopted a series of measures against Brazil, including launching trade investigations, imposing tariffs on Brazilian products, and criticizing Supreme Court decisions on content moderation by digital platforms and cases involving former President Jair Bolsonaro.

In response, the Brazilian government has intensified diplomatic negotiations with US officials and challenged the measures at the World Trade Organization (WTO), arguing that the tariffs violate international trade rules. Members of the Brazilian executive branch have also reiterated that the judiciary acts independently, while the Supreme Court maintains that its decisions comply with the Constitution and national legislation. Despite the negotiations and Brazilian official statements, the Trump administration has maintained and expanded the measures over the past year.

On Monday (Jul. 27), the Brazilian government filed a request for consultations with the United States through the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) dispute settlement system, challenging two tariff measures adopted under Section 301 of the US Trade Act of 1974.

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Brazil considers the tariffs to be unjustified and inconsistent with the obligations assumed by the United States under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade of 1994 (GATT 1994) and the rules governing the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism.

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One of the contested measures stems from a Section 301 investigation into Brazil and imposed an additional 25 percent tariff on Brazilian products. The investigation examined issues such as digital trade and electronic payment services, preferential tariffs, the enforcement of anti-corruption legislation, intellectual property protection, access to the ethanol market, and efforts to combat illegal deforestation.

The second measure resulted from an investigation involving 60 economies and imposed an additional 12.5 percent tariff on Brazilian products. In this case, the investigation focused on the existence and enforcement of restrictions on the importation of goods produced, in whole or in part, with forced labor.

The request for consultations represents the first formal stage of the WTO dispute settlement process. At this stage, the parties seek to negotiate a solution to the dispute before a panel is established to review the case.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the initiative seeks to challenge the consistency of the US tariff measures with multilateral trade rules.

Tariff hike

The new tariffs announced by the United States will affect Brazilian products worth USD 6.6 billion exported to the US market, according to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade, and Services.

The ministry estimates that the cumulative 37.5 percent surcharge will affect 16.5 percent of Brazilian exports to the US.

The affected products include machinery and equipment, various types of wood, fats and oils, footwear, furniture, and apparel.

The Brazilian women’s volleyball team’s dream of winning its first Nations League title will have to wait. On Sunday (Jul. 26) in Macau, China, Brazil lost to Türkiye 3–1 (25–23, 23–25, 24–26, 21–25) after surrendering the opening set, settling for its fifth runner-up finish in the competition. The final was a rematch of the bronze-medal match at the Paris Olympics, where Brazil had defeated Türkiye.

This time, however, Türkiye came out on top, powered by the outstanding performance of opposite hitter Melissa Vargas. The Cuban-born, naturalized Turkish player scored 33 points on attacks to lead her team to its second Nations League title - its first came in 2023 - and to top it off, she won the tournament’s MVP award.

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Italy won the Nations League bronze medal after beating China 3–1 (25–16, 23–25, 25–22, 25–13). The Italians had been eliminated by Brazil on Saturday (26).

For Brazil, Ana Cristina (25 points) and Rosamaria (19) led the team’s scoring effort.

With today’s defeat, the Brazilians have now secured five silver medals in the tournament - the previous ones came in 2025, 2022, 2021, and 2019.

“There’s that feeling that we could have given just a little more - it’s normal. Considering the adversities we faced, there was fight, determination, and tremendous commitment. Some players are emerging, we lost some key players along the way, and now we have to look ahead to the future, to the South American Championship,” said coach José Roberto in an interview with the Brazilian Volleyball Confederation (CBV).

In this tournament, the national team took the court without key starters such as outside hitter Gabi (rested due to lower back discomfort), opposite hitter Tainara, and middle blocker Julia Kudiess - both of whom were sidelined by injuries - as well as libero Nyeme, who is on maternity leave.

Brazil’s next competition will be the South American Championship, held from September 8–13 at Maracanãzinho Gymnasium in Rio de Janeiro. The winning team will earn a spot at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.