Prime Minister Narendra Modi was quick to congratulate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his stunning victory in Brazil’s run-off election on Monday, saying he looked forward to working together on the priorities of the Global South and a more inclusive world order.
Modi’s message
At the time, Modi and Lula pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation between the two emerging economies in areas ranging from trade and energy to defence and technology. Trump had linked the punishing tariffs on Brazil to demands for ending the prosecution of former president Bolsonaro, and those on India to its Russian oil purchases. When Trump imposed 50% tariffs on both India and Brazil in 2025 – among the highest penalties levied by the US administration – Lula was quick to reach out to Modi to discuss ways to cope with the fallout.
PM Modi described Lula’s re-election victory as remarkable in a congratulatory message on social media and said he looked forward to working closely with him to deepen and expand the bilateral strategic partnership. “Together, we will continue to strengthen our cooperation across diverse sectors, advance the shared priorities of the Global South and work towards a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable world,” Modi said. Lula, who skipped the BRICS Summit hosted by India last month to focus on his election campaign, said on social media that the people of Brazil “made history in the streets and at the ballot boxes, with the people as the protagonists of a journey that still has a long way to go”. “Democracy prevailed, hope grew stronger, and Brazil moves forward,” Lula said after defeating right-wing senator Flavio Bolsonaro, with the loss of the son of former president Jair Bolsonaro also being seen as a repudiation by the Brazilian people of US President Donald Trump ’s policies in South America. At the time, Lula had emphasised Brazil and India’s commitment to “defending multilateralism”.
