Prime Minister Narendra Modi received a telephone call from Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday. The telephonic conversation follows PM Modi’s official visit to Brazil last month and comes at a time when both India and Brazil face the highest duty under US President Donald Trump’s America-first-focused trade policy.
PM Modi and President Lula discussed a range of topics on the call, spanning trade cooperation, technology, energy, defence, agriculture and health. The PM recalled that during his visit to Brazil, the two leaders agreed on a framework to strengthen cooperation in these areas.
During his official visit to Brazil, PM Modi met Lula in Brasilia.
Their conversation covered an array of regional and global issues of mutual interest, according to an official statement.
Both leaders reiterated their commitment to take the strategic partnership between the two sides to new heights.
What else did PM Modi and Brazilian President Lula discuss?
Both leaders reiterated their commitment to boosting bilateral trade past $20 billion annually by 2030. That marks a significant increase from $12 billion last year.
PM Modi’s office said “the two leaders exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest”, without explicitly mentioning Trump or US tariffs.
PM Modi is preparing for his first visit to China in more than seven years, suggesting a potential diplomatic realignment amid growing tensions with Washington.
Brazilian President Lula to visit India in early 2026
Lula’s office confirmed his state visit to India in early 2026. “The leaders discussed the international economic scenario and the imposition of unilateral tariffs. Brazil and India are, to date, the two countries most affected,” it noted.
Latest in Trump-triggered tariff turbulence
On Wednesday, the 47th American president announced an additional 25 per cent duty on Indian goods, taking the total duty on imports from India into the US to 50 per cent.
The additional tariff is set to take effect on August 28.
The 50 per cent duty is aimed at penalising India for continuing its oil trade relations with Russia.
While Trump has criticised India’s stance on its oil purchases from Russia in light of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, India has stayed firm on its stance on the subject, describing the tariffs as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.
“We have already made clear our position on these issues, including the fact that our imports are based on market factors and done with the overall objective of ensuring the energy security of 1.4 billion people of India,” the external affairs ministry said this week.
