Brazil files WTO request for consultation over US tariffs

Brazil's government has filed a request for consultations at the World Trade Organization over the tariffs imposed by the United States on goods from that country, it said in a statement on Wednesday.

President Donald Trump slapped a 50% tariff on U.S. imports from Brazil, with many exemptions, in response to what he has called a "witch hunt" against his Brazilian ally, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial on charges of plotting a coup following his election loss in 2022.

Brazil had previously voiced plans to file the formal complaint at the WTO, even though that dispute settlement system has been stalled since the first Trump administration.

Latin America's largest economy said the U.S. "flagrantly violates core commitments made to the WTO" by imposing the steep levies.

"The Brazilian government reiterates its willingness to negotiate and hopes that the consultations will contribute to a solution to the issue," it added.