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3 min readNew DelhiFeb 13, 2026 02:30 AM IST
PM Narendra Modi with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Rio de Janeiro. (File/AP)
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be in India for a state visit from February 18 to 22, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Thursday. While President Lula will participate in the AI Impact Summit on February 19-20, he is scheduled to have a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 21. This will be Lula’s sixth visit to India, last one for the G20 Summit in September 2023.
Announcing the visit on Thursday, the MEA said that both leaders would be reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations. “The two leaders would also be exchanging views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in multilateral fora, reformed multilateralism, global governance and issues concerning the Global South,” the MEA statement said.
India has already announced the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron for the AI Summit. More than a dozen heads of state and multilateral organisations are expected to attend the summit next week, although formal announcements are yet to be made.
President Lula is expected to be accompanied by about 14 ministers and a large delegation of top CEOs of Brazilian companies, the MEA said. The accompanying ministers would be having meetings with their Indian counterparts. The CEOs are expected to participate in a business forum being organised during the visit of the Brazilian President, reflecting the growing trade and commercial engagements between the two countries, said the MEA.
India-Brazil ties have been steadily gaining momentum over recent months. In October 2025, Brazilian Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, who also heads the industry and trade department, visited India alongside Defence Minister Jose Mucio Monteiro, during which they held talks with minister Rajnath Singh on defence cooperation and security-related issues.
Explained
Strengthening Strategic Ties
India and Brazil share a warm, close and multi-faceted Strategic Partnership, rooted in shared democratic values, close people-to-people ties and expanding cooperation across key sectors. The visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to chart a forward-looking agenda for further strengthening bilateral Strategic Partnership, the MEA said.
Lula had first visited India in 2004 as the Guest of Honour for Republic Day celebrations. PM Modi was in Brasilia on a State Visit in July 2025. Both leaders also met in Johannesburg during G20, in November last year. On January 23, President Lula and Indian PM Modi held a phone call during which both leaders reiterated their support for comprehensive United Nations reforms, including changes to the Security Council.
During the five-day state visit, President Droupadi Murmu is also expected to meet him, and would host a banquet in his honour. Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will also meet the visiting dignitary, the MEA said.
Divya A reports on travel, tourism, culture and social issues - not necessarily in that order - for The Indian Express. She's been a journalist for over a decade now, working with Khaleej Times and The Times of India, before settling down at Express. Besides writing/ editing news reports, she indulges her pen to write short stories. As Sanskriti Prabha Dutt Fellow for Excellence in Journalism, she is researching on the lives of the children of sex workers in India. ... Read More
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