New Delhi: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will visit India next week to attend the AI Impact Summit and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi aimed at strengthening defense and trade cooperation against a backdrop of geopolitical churn.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to meet PM Modi after AI Impact Summit (AFP)Lula, who has been visiting India since February 18 at Modi’s invitation, announced plans to visit New Delhi last year after US President Donald Trump hit countries around the world with retaliatory tariffs. India and Brazil both faced 50% tariffs last year, and Lula spoke of Brazil’s plans to build stronger economic ties with countries like India.
Besides attending the AI Impact Summit on February 19-20, Lula will hold a bilateral meeting with Modi on February 21, the External Affairs Ministry said. He will also meet President Draupadi Murmu, Vice President CP Radhakrishnan and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
Lula and Modi will review bilateral relations and discuss regional and global issues including cooperation in multilateral forums, “reformed multilateralism, global governance and issues related to the Global South”, the ministry said.
The visit will be an opportunity for the two sides to “develop a visionary agenda to further strengthen the bilateral strategic partnership and deepen cooperation on bilateral, regional and global platforms on matters of mutual interest,” the ministry said.
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Lula is expected to be accompanied by 14 ministers and a large delegation of Brazilian CEOs. The accompanying ministers will also meet their Indian counterparts. The CEOs are expected to attend a business forum, which will reflect the growing trade and commercial engagement between the two countries.
Ahead of the visit, Brazilian officials talked about plans for closer cooperation with India in sectors such as defense, technology and trade. Brazil is India’s largest trading partner in Latin America, and two-way trade is expected to grow by more than 25% in 2025, reaching $15.21 billion in 2024, compared to $12.2 billion in 2024. Indian exports were $8.35 billion and imports from Brazil were valued at $6.85 billion.
The Brazilian Navy, the Indian Navy and the state-run Majagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd signed an agreement last December to maintain the Scorpene submarines, which are operated by both countries, and other military vessels.
Other areas of cooperation include health, pharmaceuticals, energy, rare earth materials and innovation, including digital public infrastructure (DPI), AI and space.
People familiar with the matter said Lula’s visit is all the more significant as he is not expected to travel to India again for the BRICS summit later this year, as his focus will be on the upcoming elections in Brazil. This will be Lula’s sixth visit to India, and she first visited the country in 2004 as the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations. Modi traveled to Brazil in July 2025, marking the first state visit by an Indian prime minister in 57 years.
