India to host Brazil President Lula for state visit

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will pay a state visit to India from Feb. 18 to Feb. 22 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as the two countries seek to deepen their strategic partnership and expand cooperation across trade, technology and global governance, India’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

During the visit, President Lula will attend the second AI Impact Summit scheduled for Feb. 19–20, while Modi and Lula will hold a bilateral meeting on Feb. 21 to review the full spectrum of India-Brazil relations. Modi will also host a lunch in honour of the visiting leader, according to the statement.

President Droupadi Murmu is expected to meet Lula and host a banquet in his honour, while Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will also call on the Brazilian president during his stay.

The two leaders are expected to exchange views on regional and global issues, including cooperation in multilateral forums, reformed multilateralism, global governance and matters concerning the Global South, the ministry said.

Lula will be accompanied by around 14 ministers and a large delegation of senior executives from leading Brazilian companies. The ministers will hold meetings with their Indian counterparts, while the business delegation will take part in a business forum organised during the visit, reflecting growing trade and commercial engagement between the two countries.

This will mark Lula’s sixth visit to India. He first visited in 2004 as the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations and last travelled to the country for the G20 Summit in September 2023. Modi and Lula have met frequently in recent years, including during Modi’s state visit to Brazil in July 2025 — the first by an Indian prime minister in 57 years — and at the G20 summit in Johannesburg in November 2025.

India and Brazil have shared a strategic partnership since 2006, underpinned by democratic values, people-to-people ties and expanding cooperation across sectors such as trade and investment, defence, energy, agriculture, health, pharmaceuticals, renewable energy, critical minerals, rare earths, science and technology, digital public infrastructure, artificial intelligence and space.

Brazil is India’s largest trading partner in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The two countries also hold common positions on issues including United Nations reforms, climate change and counter-terrorism.

The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity for both sides to chart a forward-looking agenda to further strengthen bilateral ties across regional and global platforms, the ministry said.

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