U.S. Pushes Brazil Critical-Minerals Ties With São Paulo Forum as Goiás Signs MoU

Overview

• The U.S.-organized critical-minerals forum in São Paulo brought federal agencies, investors and companies together, but Brazil’s federal ministries stayed away following diplomatic friction.
• Brazil’s foreign ministry revoked or denied a visa for U.S. official Darren Beattie after he sought to visit former president Jair Bolsonaro in prison, a move that contributed to the federal no-show.
• U.S. chargé d’affaires Gabriel Escobar said Washington has presented a federal-level proposal and is waiting for a formal response from Brazil after initial talks in February.
• Goiás governor Ronaldo Caiado signed a non-binding memorandum with U.S. representatives to advance cooperation on exploration, research, training and local processing; the state hosts Serra Verde, Brazil’s lone commercial rare-earth operation.
• U.S. agencies including the DFC and Exim have identified roughly 50 Brazilian projects and signaled about US$600 million in available financing, as Brazil weighs partnerships that prioritize domestic processing and value addition.