Brazil unveiled a long-anticipated relief package aimed at shielding exporters from the 50% tariffs the United States imposed earlier this month on a range of Brazilian goods. The centrepiece is a 30 billion-real (about US$5.5 billion) credit line channelled through the state-run Export Guarantee Fund, which is overseen by development bank BNDES. An additional 4.5 billion reais will reinforce existing programmes for small and mid-sized firms. The executive order, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, also grants temporary tax breaks, extends the drawback customs regime through 2026 and authorises federal and local governments to buy surplus farm and seafood products now priced out of the US market for use in public schools and hospitals. The measure takes immediate effect but will require congressional approval within four months. Lula said the plan prioritises support over retaliation. While insisting Brazil’s “sovereignty is untouchable,” he ruled out matching tariffs for now and instead pledged to diversify trade and deepen ties within BRICS. The president held separate phone calls this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin and is organising a videoconference with other BRICS and selected European leaders to discuss a coordinated response. Washington raised duties on Brazilian coffee, beef, seafood and other products to 50% from 10%, citing what President Donald Trump called unfair trade practices and alleged political persecution of former president Jair Bolsonaro. Brazilian officials reject the accusation, noting the United States has run a trade surplus with Brazil for more than a decade. In Washington, Bolsonaro’s son, congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, told Reuters he expects further US sanctions if Brazil’s Supreme Court continues its trial of his father.