Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vowed on Friday to “reciprocate” in response to the 25 percent tariffs on steel imports that US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday.

“There is no doubt that there will be reciprocity” from Brazil, the second-largest steel exporter to the United States after Canada, Lula told Brazilian radio station Clube do Para.

Brazil exported 4.08 million tons of the metal to the United States in 2024.

“If they impose a tax on Brazilian steel, we will respond commercially or file a complaint with the World Trade Organization or tax the products we import from them,” he added.

Brazil imports many steel-based manufactured products from the United States, including industrial machinery, car engines and aerospace parts.

“Trump can say what he wants, he is the president of the United States. But he cannot do what he wants because if he does something that affects other countries, there will always be a reaction,” Lula said.

Earlier this week, Brazil’s Minister of Institutional Relations Alexandre Padilla said his country had no intention of entering a trade war with the United States, though Lula had previously vowed that any U.S. tariffs on his country would be met with reciprocal tariffs.

The Brazilian president said he favored “improving our relations with the United States” and strengthening trade ties with Brazil’s second-largest trading partner after China.

The U.S. president signed executive orders imposing 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports starting March 12.

Trump imposed similar tariffs on steel during his first term to protect U.S. producers from what he called unfair competition.

But Brazil was exempted from those tariffs after agreeing to import quotas.