Trade, defence on table as PM Modi meets Lula today

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This is Lula’s second visit to India — he had last visited Delhi for the G20 leaders summit in September 2023.

Last year, in July 2025, the State Visit of Prime Minister Modi to Brasilia (7-8 July 2025) was the second ever bilateral visit by the Prime Minister of India, taking place after a gap of 57 years.

President Lula and Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Rio de Janeiro in November 2024.

Both PM and President Lula had a telephonic conversation on 7 August 2025 focusing on trade related matters due to US tariffs.

In June 2025, the two leaders interacted on the sidelines of G7, Canada. In May 2025, President Lula called PM extending support and solidarity with India in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terrorist attack.

According to Indian officials, India and Brazil share a close and multifaceted relationship which was elevated to Strategic Partnership in 2006. Both countries also enjoy an excellent cooperation in plurilateral fora such as BRICS, IBSA, G20, G-4, International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuel Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure as well as in the larger multilateral bodies such as the UN, WTO, UNESCO and WIPO.

During bilateral talks in the PM’s State visit to Brasilia in July 2025, both leaders agreed to establish a Review Mechanism at the Trade Minister’s level. They also announced a bilateral trade target of US$ 20 billion, to be achieved by 2030.

As Strategic Partners, India and Brazil have several Institutional mechanisms to coordinate such as Joint Commission Meeting (Foreign Minister level), Strategic Dialogue (NSA), Foreign Office Consultations (Secretary), Trade Monitoring Mechanism (TMM), Economic and Financial Dialogue, Dialogue on Consular and Mobility Issues, Joint Defence Committee, Joint Committee on Science & Technology and India-Brazil Business Leaders Forum.

On defence ties, a defence cooperation agreement was signed in 2003, was ratified in 2006, which created a Joint Defence Committee (JDC) as institutional mechanism. Over the last few years, engagement between the defence forces of both countries has grown significantly. This is expected to get a fillip during this visit.

On trade and Investment, in calendar year 2025, bilateral trade reached USD 15.21 billion (increase of over 25%), with Indian exports to Brazil amounting to USD 8.35 billion and imports from Brazil totaling USD 6.85 billion.

Total Indian investment in Brazil is estimated at more than USD 15 billion. During the visit of the Vice-President of Brazil in Oct 25, a Joint Declaration was issued to launch negotiations for substantial and significant expansion of the India-MERCOSUR PTA. The two sides will take stock on the progress of negotiations in this regard.

Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor at The Indian Express, has been a journalist for more than 25 years now. Roy joined The Indian Express in October 2003 and has been reporting on foreign affairs for more than 17 years now. Based in Delhi, he has also led the National government and political bureau at The Indian Express in Delhi — a team of reporters who cover the national government and politics for the newspaper. He has got the Ramnath Goenka Journalism award for Excellence in Journalism ‘2016. He got this award for his coverage of the Holey Bakery attack in Dhaka and its aftermath. He also got the IIMCAA Award for the Journalist of the Year, 2022, (Jury’s special mention) for his coverage of the fall of Kabul in August 2021 — he was one of the few Indian journalists in Kabul and the only mainstream newspaper to have covered the Taliban’s capture of power in mid-August, 2021. ... Read More

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