Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived in India with a 300-person business delegation, aiming to significantly boost bilateral trade. The leaders solidified a push against Trump tariffs and criticized outdated global institutions, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi having previously outlined this agenda. Their talks focused on concrete economic cooperation, moving from speech to action within the BRICS framework.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva traveled to India with a specific economic mission, accompanied by 300 businesspeople. His stated goals were to deepen India-Brazil trade, sharpen the bloc’s collective voice, and respond to Trump tariffs on developing nations.
The visit builds on groundwork laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s BRICS speech in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025. Modi criticized global institutions like the UN Security Council, WTO, and IMF for a lack of reform. “In the age of AI, where technology evolves every week, it’s unacceptable for global institutions to go 80 years without reform,” he stated.
He argued that meaningful change requires adjustments to governance structures, voting rights, and leadership positions. Modi also noted that without the Global South, these institutions are “like a mobile phone with a SIM card but no network.”
Lula da Silva pointed to the current $15 billion trade volume between India and Brazil, calling it insufficient. He told India Today Global the countries need to reach “$30 to $40 billion in trade, given the size of our countries.” He also confirmed a coordinated BRICS response to U.S. tariff policy.
“When President Trump imposed universal tariffs on all countries, I held a BRICS meeting via teleconference so that we could make a statement that it was not correct,” Lula da Silva said. On reducing dollar dependency for trade, he called it a realistic long-term consideration, not an overnight fantasy.
Defense and renewable energy agreements were signed during the visit, and a joint statement on tariffs was issued. The next BRICS summit is scheduled for India in 2026. Lula da Silva expressed strong confidence in the partnership with Modi, saying “I believe we will change for the better the history of India and the history of Brazil.”
