July 16 (UPI) — The United States late Wednesday imposed a 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports, accusing Brasilia’s government of unfair trade practices and escalating the feud between U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The tariffs, announced by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, come as Trump has repeatedly targeted Brazil with tariff threats and has sanctioned Brazilian officials while defending his close ally, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

The far-right populist was sentenced in September to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula.

Lula swiftly condemned the tariffs as the product of “active collaboration with the Bolsonaro family.”

“Brazil will immediately initiate the procedures to activate the instruments provided for in the Reciprocity Law, approved unanimously by the National Congress, and will resume the issue within the framework of the [World Trade Organization] dispute settlement mechanism,” Lula said in a statement.

The tariffs, which are to go into effect July 22, follow a yearlong investigation of Brazilian policies launched July 15, 2025, just days after Trump sent Lula a letter calling Bolsonaro’s trial “a Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY” and announced a 50% tariff on all Brazilian products that was later struck down by the Supreme Court.

Greer on Wednesday said his investigation had found that Brazilian policies affecting several areas, from digital trade and intellectual property protection to ethanol-market access, unreasonably burden or restrict the commerce of American farmers, workers and exporters.

“Safeguarding American economic interests against unfair trade practices is the bedrock of President Trump’s America First policies,” he said in a statement, alleging that “Brazil’s unfair trading practices” have prevented U.S. access to its market of more than 210 million consumers.

“Today’s action is necessary to address these unfair practices to ensure American workers and companies can compete on a level playing field,” Greer continued. “Extensive negotiations with Brazil over the past year have not resolved these issues, but we remain open to continuing negotiations with Brazil to bring about long-needed changes to the problems identified in this investigation.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio additionally accused the Lula government of not cooperating with the Trump administration to resolve the issue.

“President Trump directed the USTR to impose a 25% tariff on most Brazilian imports. Let there be no confusion about why: President Lula and his government have not negotiated with the U.S. in good faith,” the United States’ top diplomat said in a statement of his own.

“His economic policies are bad for Americans and bad for Brazilians. For the past year, Lula has put his own ego ahead of making a deal for the welfare of the Brazilian people, and these tariffs are the price for that.”

There is “no justification for unilateral measures” against Brazil, Lula said in his statement, explaining that the United States has a $424.5 billion surplus with Brazil over the last 15 years.

He said his administration also never left the negotiating table, seemingly refuting Rubio’s accusation.