Brazil concludes his visit to India and is likely to visit the United States next month
New Delhi: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned his US counterpart Donald Trump against starting a new Cold War and said all countries should be treated equally. Lula was speaking before leaving India, a day after a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which saw the two sides sign an agreement to cooperate in the field of critical minerals, as well as exchanging notes on the US Supreme Court ruling that struck down Trump’s sweeping global tariffs.Lula said in a press conference, “I want to tell US President Donald Trump that we do not want a new Cold War. We do not want to interfere in any other country. We want all countries to be treated equally.” He is likely to travel to Washington next month to meet with Trump. The President praised the strategic partnership between Brazil and India, describing it as a peer-to-peer relationship that avoids the “tyranny” often found in negotiations with wealthier countries.Addressing the Indo-Brazil Economic Forum, Lula emphasized the deep-rooted similarities between the two countries and their shared vision for growth. Highlighting the unique nature of this bilateral bond, Lula said: “The most important thing is that when we talk about negotiations with a country like India, we are not dealing with a colonizer.” He further noted that unlike dealings with rich countries which often fail to take the happiness of individual countries into consideration, “with India, it is different.”
He added that this balanced power dynamic, where “no one is above the other,” stems from a mutual understanding of common needs and positions.Lula noted that despite the differences in religion and language, there are profound similarities in the challenges faced by the two countries. This shared perspective made it “easier for us to work and develop a business plan” and build partnerships between entrepreneurs from both sides, he said.He added that this ease of cooperation has already led to a great economic trajectory.Since the president’s first visit, trade has increased from $2.4 billion to $10.5 billion. While Prime Minister Modi previously set a target of $20 billion by 2030, Lula expressed greater ambition, saying: “We will reach $30 billion in trade.”
