Brazil Prez to convene Brics members' meet on Trump tariffs

Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is convening a virtual meet of Brics members next Monday to discuss US Prez Donald Trump's trade policy, according to people familiar with the plan.

The Brazilian president wants to discuss trade tariffs imposed by United States govt and rally fellow heads of major emerging market nations in support of multilateralism, according to two Brazilian govt officials, sources said, on condition of anonymity, as details of the call haven't been officially announced yet.Trump thrust Brazil into the middle of his global trade war in July, threatening to impose higher tariffs unless the country's Supreme Court immediately halted a trial in which former President Jair Bolsonaro faces charges of attempting a coup.

Latin America's largest economy is now subject to 50% tariffs, although US has exempted hundreds of goods such as airplanes and orange juice.US has set different tariffs for different Brics nations, however, making it difficult for them to agree on a joint statement, according to Brazilian officials. Moreover, Lula does not want the meeting to turn into an anti-US summit, they said.