Brasilia, Oct. 15, 2025 (Lusa) — Brazil's Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, announced on Wednesday that he will meet with his US counterpart to discuss cooperation in the energy sector, including issues related to critical minerals and rare earths.
The meeting will take place at the end of the month, as part of a meeting of G7 energy ministers in Canada.
During a hearing at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the chamber of parliament, the minister said that the meeting was arranged after a telephone conversation between Brazilian President Lula da Silva and US President Donald Trump.
"After this re-establishment of dialogue with Trump, I have been invited for the first time to discuss with the US Secretary of Mines and Energy. I have been invited to a meeting on critical minerals," explained the Brazilian minister.
This first conversation between Lula da Silva and Trump took place after a brief meeting at the United Nations General Assembly, where both agreed to reopen channels of bilateral dialogue, which had been virtually closed for months.
Trump decided to impose 50% tariffs on most Brazilian products, largely in retaliation for the conviction of former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison, decided by the Federal Supreme Court.
In addition, the US President imposed political and financial sanctions on Supreme Court judges and revoked the visas of some Brazilian officials, which further deteriorated relations between the two countries.
According to Alexandre Silveira, the meeting with representatives of the US Department of Energy will discuss cooperation in the exploration of critical minerals and rare earths, resources of which Brazil has large reserves that are still largely unexploited.
Trump has shown particular interest in this sector, which is also one of the axes of the trade conflict with China, a country that has imposed restrictions on exports of critical minerals, leading Washington to threaten 100% tariffs on Chinese products.
Silveira assured that Brazil is willing to negotiate investments in this area with both China and the United States, within the framework of a trade and foreign policy that is "open to all countries in the world".
According to the minister, these investments will be "welcome" as long as they comply with the rules of the Brazilian government, which advocates legal, sustainable mining with social benefits.
The first diplomatic contacts between Brazil and the United States will be held between Brazilian minister of foreign affairs Mauro Vieira and US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who are expected to meet later this week in Washington.
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