As President Donald Trump’s global tariffs go into effect, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva remains staunchly opposed to making deals with the U.S. The South American leader has been an outspoken critic of U.S. tariffs, which he sees as a bullying tactic.

“The day my intuition says Trump is ready to talk, I won’t hesitate to call him,” Lula told Reuters. “But today my intuition says he doesn’t want to talk. And I won’t humiliate myself.” 

More than 60 countries and the European Union were hit with new tariffs just after midnight on Thursday. While the baseline rate is 10%, select nations, like Brazil, face additional penalties that push the total tariff up to 50%.

In the past, Lula slammed Trump’s tariffs as “unacceptable blackmail.”

Bolsonaro, who was defeated by Lula in 2022, was recently placed under house arrest amid ongoing legal proceedings over his alleged attempt to overturn the country’s presidential election results.

Brazil’s president is seemingly unafraid of entering negotiations with Trump. Though he said that there were no pending reciprocal tariffs, Lula told Reuters he was planning to call the leaders of BRICS member states to discuss a possible joint response to the U.S.

Additionally, according to Reuters, Lula said Brazil was looking at joining a collective complaint with other countries at the World Trade Organization.