Jaishankar Meets Brazilian President Lula, Discusses Advancing Strategic Partnership

New Delhi: India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Saturday and discussed ways to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

After the meeting, Jaishankar posted on X that he felt honored to meet President Lula during his state visit to India. He appreciated Lula’s warm sentiments and guidance in advancing bilateral strategic ties and expressed confidence that the Brazilian leader’s meeting later in the day with Prime Minister Narendra Modi would provide fresh momentum to India–Brazil relations.

During his visit, President Lula also met President Droupadi Murmu. A bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Lula is scheduled to further deepen cooperation.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs had stated that both leaders would review all aspects of bilateral relations. The Prime Minister is also hosting a luncheon in honor of the visiting dignitary. Discussions are expected to cover regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in multilateral forums, reformed multilateralism, global governance, and matters concerning the Global South.

President Lula arrived in India on February 18 to attend the second AI Impact Summit. He is accompanied by a large delegation comprising around 14 ministers and leading CEOs from Brazilian companies. The accompanying ministers are expected to hold meetings with their Indian counterparts.

This marks President Lula’s sixth visit to India. He first visited in 2004 as the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations and most recently in September 2023 for the G20 Summit. Prime Minister Modi was on a state visit to Brasília on July 7–8, 2025 — the first such visit by an Indian Prime Minister in 57 years. The two leaders also met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg in November 2025.

India and Brazil share a warm, close, and multifaceted strategic partnership rooted in shared democratic values, strong people-to-people ties, and expanding cooperation across key sectors. The two countries have been strategic partners since 2006.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Brazil is India’s largest trading partner in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. Bilateral engagement continues to deepen in areas such as trade and investment, defense, agriculture, health and pharmaceuticals, energy (including renewables, critical minerals and rare earth materials), science and technology, innovation, digital public infrastructure (DPI), artificial intelligence, space cooperation, and people-to-people exchanges. Both countries also share similar views on major international issues, including UN reforms, climate change, and counter-terrorism.

The MEA emphasized that President Lula’s state visit provides an opportunity for both sides to further strengthen their bilateral strategic partnership and chart a forward-looking agenda for deeper cooperation at bilateral, regional, and global platforms.