Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira is confident that Russia will be represented "at the highest possible level" at the upcoming BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira is confident that US President Donald Trump's tariff threats will not materialise and has stressed that they will work with the new administration as they have done until now, through diplomacy, but defending the interests of the Brazilian people.

"Diplomacy is the basis of Brazil's position in the world. We have always been guided in this way, by multilateralism, so we hope to continue along this line," Vieira said in an interview with Europa Press on Tuesday.

Vieira said the government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is analyzing what measures to take if the Trump administration imposes an increase in tariffs on steel and aluminum, while also holding talks with the new U.S. authorities.

"We do not want to start a trade war," he said, while stressing the "importance" of continuing to maintain economic relations with a partner like the United States despite the differences, and recalling that similar challenges had already arisen during Joe Biden's administration, which were handled "very well."

Vieira, however, said that no high-level meeting was planned between the two governments, neither between the two presidents, nor between him and his American counterpart, Marco Rubio. "Of course, we are always ready to have contacts," he said.

The head of Brazilian diplomacy has stressed that in the face of protectionism coming from the north, trade relations such as those between Mercosur and the European Union are acquiring renewed importance, especially after the new Lula government has reviewed agreements that were "very bad" for the parties.

"I think we have now reached an excellent, balanced, modern and very advanced agreement, which will bring many benefits for both parties (...) We have updated it a lot because there was a text that had been negotiated in a hurry during the previous government (...) It was very unbalanced," he explained.

These agreements, he stressed, are "like a safety net" and "the clearest sign that integration, consultation and diplomacy are the best solution to promote understanding between countries."

IN TUNE WITH SPAIN

Vieira has been in Madrid these days to confirm with the Spanish authorities the decision to elevate the meetings between the two countries to a summit between presidents, thus making Brazil the first in Latin America with which Spain will hold this type of meeting at the highest level.

"I think this is the clearest sign of the importance of relations from a political point of view," said Vieira, highlighting the good rapport between Lula and the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez.

"They both know each other very well, they talk a lot on the phone, they have a lot of contact," he revealed.

"The alliance between Brazil and Spain is natural and has always been very good. It is excellent that the political positions of the two progressive governments, which are concerned about the social issues of their respective peoples, coincide at this time," he said.

He also highlighted the economic impact that this new phase of the relationship could have for both countries, with Spain, he said, being the second most important investor in Brazil.

"The largest Spanish companies are in Brazil. There are nearly a thousand Spanish companies in Brazil," he stressed.

THE BRICS AND PUTIN'S PRESENCE IN RIO

Ahead of the upcoming BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro in July, Brazil's foreign minister is confident that Russian President Vladimir Putin, "as a founding member from the beginning," will be able to attend, despite the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant still in force.

"Of course, if he comes to Brazil, if he wants to come, he will be welcomed," he said, although he chose to distance this summit of emerging economies from any connection with the ICC order issued for possible war crimes related to the forced displacement of minors during the war in Ukraine.

"This is a completely different issue. There is an international order, but it is another issue that we have to discuss. The important thing is to have this BRICS meeting and to have the presence of Russia, which is very important," he said.

"We hope that Russia will be represented at the highest possible level," he added.

DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

Another point of friction between Brasilia and Washington has been related to the condition in which passengers on deportation flights arriving in Brazil during the Trump administration have traveled.

A measure, he explained, that dates back to 2019, although "never under President Lula's government," he added.

Following the "problem" with the first flight to Brazil three weeks ago, with dozens of passengers tied up, Vieira explained that the government has begun "to deal more directly" with Washington to ensure that such incidents do not happen again. "Until then we thought that everything was going well," he said.

"Any country has the sovereign right to decide who stays and who does not, whether they are documented or not, but Brazil welcomes all citizens and we work to ensure that human rights, dignity, and the care that must be given to people are respected," he said.

In the next week, he said, Brazil, which has two million citizens in the United States, will receive another flight with about 100 people. According to government estimates, there are about 30,000 Brazilians who are in the process of returning because they do not have all their documents in order.

LULA 2026 AND COMPLAINT AGAINST BOLSONARO

In domestic politics, and in view of the possible accusation that the Brazilian Prosecutor's Office will launch this week against former President Jair Bolsonaro for a coup d'état, in relation to the attacks on institutions on January 8, 2023, Vieira recalls that it is "the obligation of all citizens" to comply with Justice.

"Brazil is a republic with total independence between the branches of government and this is in the hands of the judiciary. The decision taken by the judiciary will be implemented and the obligation of all citizens is to comply with the decisions of each of the branches of government, especially the judiciary," he concluded.

He also believes that Lula will "without a doubt" continue to be "a very important political force" for Brazil in the coming years, when there is speculation about whether he will be a candidate again in 2026.

"I think the outcome of his government will be very positive," he said. "He is the only Brazilian who has had three democratic mandates," he said.