In a significant diplomatic shift, the United States has removed Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes from its sanctions list, signaling warming relations between the two nations. This development comes shortly after Brazil’s lower house approved legislation that could substantially reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence for alleged coup plotting.
The sanctions reversal, enacted Friday, aligns with the Trump administration’s endorsement of the prospective sentence reduction for Bolsonaro. The controversial legislative proposal, which would shorten the former leader’s term to under three years, now advances to Brazil’s Senate for consideration. Ultimately, it would require ratification by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s political rival, potentially creating a tense political confrontation.
US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau characterized the development as ‘the beginning of a path to improve our relations’ in a social media statement. The Trump administration had previously imposed sanctions in July, alleging Justice de Moraes had ‘abused his judicial authority to target political opponents’ in his investigation of Bolsonaro’s alleged election interference efforts.
Brazil’s Minister of Institutional Relations Gleisi Hoffmann hailed the sanctions removal as a victory for both Brazil and the Lula administration. The diplomatic thaw follows recent indications of easing tensions between Presidents Trump and Lula, including what Trump described as a ‘great’ trade discussion earlier this month.