Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on a four-day visit to New Delhi with the largest Brazilian delegation to date, declared that relations between Brazil and India are poised for a decisive expansion. In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, President Lula emphasized that “India and Brazil, as two of the world’s largest democracies and dynamic economies, cannot remain distant.”
On trade, Mr Lula admitted that bilateral trade, while at a record high in 2025, remains well below its potential of around US$15 billion. The aim of the visit is to significantly expand trade flows, with agreements expected in critical minerals – the first of its kind for Brazil – and small and medium-sized enterprises, a key source of employment. Mr Lula also highlighted a Brazil-India business forum in New Delhi that will bring together 600 private sector representatives, arguing that the trade partnership would turn political goodwill into “shared prosperity”.
India, a Brazilian leader told The Hindu, is central to Brazil’s long-term strategy for economic diversification. “The answer to trade wars is more international trade,” Mr. Lula said, calling for expanded ties between Mercosur and India.
Responding to a question about artificial intelligence, Mr Lula warned against “digital colonialism”. He said AI must not become the preserve of a few nations or billionaires. Brazil and India should promote “emancipatory” AI that reflects the Global South, promotes inclusion, and is multilaterally driven.
Looking ahead to India’s BRICS chairmanship in 2026, Mr Lula expressed confidence that New Delhi would make progress on global governance reforms. He described multilateralism as facing unprecedented strain, with the UN Security Council in urgent need of reform. Brazil and India, he argued, deserved permanent places alongside African nations to reflect the realities of the 21st century.
At a time of geopolitical change, Brazil and India are natural partners and can translate their long-recognized potential into a concrete strategic alliance, Mr. Lula said in an interview.
What specific measures and agreements are expected during your visit to New Delhi to deepen and diversify trade between India and Brazil?
Bilateral trade between Brazil and India reached its highest level in 2025, but remains well below its true potential. India has 1.4 billion people and Brazil 215 million. It doesn’t make sense that our business is only $15 billion. The significant expansion of our business flows is therefore one of the main objectives of this visit. We will sign several agreements to achieve this goal. We will sign agreements on critical minerals – the first of their kind signed by Brazil – and on small and medium-sized enterprises, a sector that creates millions of jobs. During my visit, I will also participate in a Brazil-India business forum with 600 representatives from the private sector of both countries. Because it is the private sector that, through partnerships and joint projects, will transform the excellent relationship we have with India into the shared prosperity of our societies.
Brazil and India cannot remain distant. Two of the world’s largest democracies, with extraordinarily diverse cultures and dynamic economies, have an obligation to build a much closer relationship. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I are working towards this goal.
You are traveling with the largest Brazilian trade delegation ever brought to India, along with several ministers. How important is India to Brazil’s long-term economic strategy, especially as emerging economies seek new markets in an era of tariffs and trade wars?
I often say that the answer to the crisis of multilateralism is more multilateralism. And the answer to trade wars is more international trade. Diversifying trade partnerships with emerging and traditional economies is a central part of Brazil’s strategy. We have a strong convergence with India in this. This convergence must now translate into concrete results.
We in Mercosur have signed a partnership agreement with the European Union. Less than two weeks later, India did the same. Now we need to make the Mercosur-India trade agreement a reality. We have complementary interests in areas such as biofuels, artificial intelligence, science and technology, defence, space and health. We both stand for fair, multilateral, open, rules-based trade anchored in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The futures of Brazil and India are closely linked.
You attended the AI Impact Summit in Delhi. How can Brazil and India lead a broader cooperation among the countries of the Global South in the field of artificial intelligence and ensure fair access to technologies, joint development and rules that serve their interests?
We must avoid a new form of colonialism: digital colonialism. The development of artificial intelligence is irreversible, but it cannot become the privilege of a few countries or a tool of manipulation in the hands of billionaires. Brazil and India are interested in an emancipatory artificial intelligence—one that reflects the face of the Global South, enhances cultural diversity, and serves as an instrument of peace, not war.
We need every chip, every algorithm to bear the mark of social inclusion. To achieve this, we need intergovernmental governance of artificial intelligence. It is urgent that the United Nations be at the center of this debate and that all states have a seat at the table. Our countries are well-positioned to be at the forefront of this agenda, as demonstrated by the Government of India’s AI Impact Summit.
Brazil highlighted the importance of India’s upcoming BRICS chairmanship in 2026. What are your expectations for India’s leadership in the bloc, especially with regard to the reform of global governance institutions?
Brazil has handed over the BRICS presidency to India in 2026. I am confident that the Indian presidency will continue Brazil’s important initiatives for cooperation within the bloc in areas such as health and the fight against socially determined diseases, climate change and artificial intelligence.
In terms of global governance, we are witnessing an unprecedented collapse of multilateralism. The paralysis of the United Nations and its Security Council has contributed to an increase in armed conflict around the world to a level not seen since the end of World War II.
BRICS plays a very important role in this process. The group is a defender of multilateralism and has legitimacy in debates about renewed governance in which the voice of the Global South carries weight.
Brazil and India agree that institutions of global governance must reflect the new multipolar reality of the 21st century and effectively promote peace. We are countries that have traditionally pushed for the reform of the Council to make it more legitimate, representative, efficient and democratic. At this stage of the 21st century, it makes no sense for the Security Council not to include India, Brazil and African countries as permanent members.
We fully support India’s BRICS chairmanship in pursuing these goals.
A long-term trade agreement between Mercosur and India is expected to be discussed during your visit. Do you see this trip as a decisive moment for progress in this framework, especially in view of the recent agreement between Mercosur and the European Union and the changing patterns of world trade?
When I re-entered the office of President of Brazil in early 2023, I pledged to open new markets and build business partnerships around the world. In three years, we have opened more than 500 markets and signed important trade agreements with the European Union (EU), EFTA and Singapore through Mercosur.
These agreements are multilateralism’s answer to protectionism and the logic of trade wars that impoverish countries and increase inequality. Prime Minister Modi shares a very similar view to ours on the importance of trade deals.
In this spirit, one of the priorities of my visit is to expand the Mercosur-India agreement, which has been in force since 2009. In its current form, the agreement is very limited, as it only covers a small percentage of products. We will expand it and reduce the barriers that still hinder our trade. This will increase our trade flows, which remain well below the size of our countries and economies.
At a time when multilateralism is under pressure and major powers are redefining trade and security rules, how do you see Brazil and India working together to create a more balanced, rules-based global order that reflects the interests of the Global South?
Brazil and India have long cooperated closely in international forums. At the World Health Organization (WHO), we promote health sovereignty and access to medicines, vaccines and essential public health inputs. At the WTO, we stand for rules-based trade.
The new global order requires the reform of international institutions and the strengthening of multilateralism and diplomacy. The current architecture was designed in 1945 and does not reflect today’s world. But many other institutions must also change. The World Bank, for example, needs reform to expand the participation of developing countries in its leadership. The WTO must also restore its role in regulating international trade.
Brazil and India are particularly well positioned to drive these transformations. As members of the G20, BRICS and IBSA, we act unequivocally in defense of multilateralism. We are natural partners in tackling some of the biggest challenges of our time, namely eradicating hunger and poverty and tackling climate change. We are also two of the world’s ten largest economies and two of the largest democracies. We uphold universalist diplomatic traditions. The “strategic diversification” sought by India converges with the universalism of Brazil’s foreign policy. We are a country that cooperates with everyone, without automatic agreements. We are the bridges between global north and global south and between west and east. We want to continue to expand our relationships with the world. It has long been said that it is natural for Brazil and India to work more closely together. For all these reasons, the time has come to turn this potential into reality.
