Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will embark on a state visit to India from February 18 to 22 and attend the second AI Summit scheduled in Delhi on February 19 and 20, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday, as reported by ANI.
At a weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the visit is on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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“His Excellency the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil will pay a state visit to India from February 18 to 22, 2026. President Lula will attend the 2nd AI Summit to be held from February 19 to 20 here in Delhi,” Jaiswal said, as reported by ANI.
He added that bilateral negotiations will take place on February 21, i.e. the main day of the state visit. President Lula will be hosted by the President of India and will meet the Vice President and other dignitaries. A business delegation will accompany him to explore business and investment opportunities.
“The main day of Brazil’s state visit, bilateral talks will be on February 21. President Lula will be hosted by our honorable president on February 21 and will be addressed by several other dignitaries, including the honorable vice president of India,” the spokesperson said.
What’s on the agenda?
President Lulu is accompanied by several ministers and a business delegation. According to the MEA, several meetings have been scheduled to facilitate interactions with the visiting trade delegation.
Jaiswal also noted that India has already announced French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the AI summit.
“We have hereby made an announcement for the second leader to visit India for the AI summit and bilateral talks,” he said.
The MEA said further announcements regarding other leaders participating in the AI Summit will be made soon.
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“We will give you more details about the other leaders coming to the AI Summit. Hopefully you will have that soon. It will help you in preparing your engagement at the AI Summit and it will also help you write how you look at the international engagement at this AI Summit which will be big here in Delhi,” added Jaiswal.
Economic dependence in the spotlight
The visit is part of a broader recalibration of Brazil’s foreign policy aimed at reducing economic dependence on traditional partners such as the United States and China, while strengthening cooperation with emerging economies such as India, Brasil 247 reports.
Officials at the Brazilian presidential palace described the upcoming visit as one of the biggest overseas missions of the current administration.
Reflecting the scale of ambition, Brazil’s Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) has opened up accreditation to up to 200 business leaders to accompany the delegation. By the end of the registration process, almost 150 representatives of the private sector confirmed their participation, which underlines the strong interest of companies in the Indian market.
According to Brasil 247, relations between Brazil and India have been steadily gaining momentum in recent months.
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Trade data underscores India’s growing importance to Brazil. India became Brazil’s tenth largest export destination last year with total exports of US$6.9 billion and ranked sixth among sources of imports with US$8.4 billion. Although this led to Brazil’s trade deficit of $1.5 billion, bilateral trade volumes saw strong growth, with exports increasing by 30.2 percent and imports by 21.9 percent in 2025, according to Brazil 247.
Agriculture will also play a significant role during the visit. Brazil plans to offer technical cooperation in family farming, with the delegation including a representative from Embrapa, the country’s agricultural research agency.
Preparations for the visit are a priority, Brazil has rented a 500-seat auditorium in India for two days, where meetings between President Lula and Indian businessmen will take place. The aim is to draw attention to investment opportunities and encourage greater inflow of capital to Brazil.
Apart from economics, the visit has a clear political weight. Brazilian officials see India’s aid as bolstering President Lula’s image as an influential global leader seeking to advance Brazil’s interests in an increasingly competitive international environment.