Brazil and United States flags are pictured alongside official portraits in an image released amid trade tensions between the two countries. (Ricardo Stuckert/PR | Press Release)

NNA News - Brazil has begun assessing possible reciprocal measures against the United States following tariffs imposed by Washington on Brazilian products, in a move that could further strain trade relations between the two countries.

The Brazilian government announced Thursday that it had initiated a formal process under the country's Economic Reciprocity Law, which provides a legal framework for responding to trade, legal or political barriers imposed by foreign governments.

According to Brasil 247, the legislation, approved unanimously by Brazil's Congress and signed into law by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2025, allows the government to consider countermeasures against countries or economic blocs whose policies adversely affect Brazilian interests.

In a statement, the Brazilian government said it had opened an analysis to determine whether the measures adopted by the United States fall within the scope of the law. “The Brazilian government informs that it has initiated the analysis of an ordinary request for classification, under the Economic Reciprocity Law (Law No. 15,122/2025), of the unilateral measures adopted by the government of the United States of America under Section 301 of that country’s Trade Act,” the government said. Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs will formally notify the US government of the process and request diplomatic consultations.

The consultations are intended to seek a negotiated solution to the effects of the US measures and any potential Brazilian countermeasures available under the reciprocity law. “The diplomatic consultations, which aim to mitigate or nullify the effects of the measures and countermeasures provided for under the Economic Reciprocity Law, reinforce the Brazilian government’s willingness to prioritise dialogue and negotiation in its international relations,” the statement said.

The move follows efforts by Brazil to engage with the Office of the United States Trade Representative over investigations conducted under Section 301 of US trade legislation. The Brazilian government said it had submitted evidence disputing allegations of unfair trade practices and maintained that the tariffs imposed by Washington were not justified. “[The Brazilian government] presented evidence refuting each of the allegations concerning alleged unfair trade practices by Brazil. The US tariffs are unjustified and arbitrary, and Brazil will continue to defend its position through all appropriate channels,” the government said.

The initiation of the process does not, in itself, mean that Brazil has imposed retaliatory measures. Instead, it begins an assessment of whether the US actions meet the criteria established under Brazil's Economic Reciprocity Law and opens the way for diplomatic consultations. The development places renewed focus on the trade relationship between two of the Western Hemisphere's largest economies, as Brazil seeks to defend its commercial interests while maintaining its stated preference for dialogue and negotiation.