☎️ Direct line diplomacy

The latest phone call between Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump offered another sign of a détente after months of trade war and barbs over the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, Trump’s ally. The two leaders had a 40-minute conversation on Tuesday, an exchange that both governments described as very productive.

The call came days after Washington lifted an additional 40% tariff on a range of Brazilian agricultural goods — including beef, coffee, cocoa, orange juice and several fruits — that Trump had imposed earlier this year. Those duties were layered on top of a baseline 10% levy for most countries — and were framed as punishment for Brazil’s Supreme Court following through with the criminal trial of former President Bolsonaro. 

The rate rollback happened despite Bolsonaro’s conviction (and recent imprisonment) — and eased what had become one of the steepest tariff burdens faced by any of the US’s trading partners…

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