Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
Brazil, Feb 23 - In a press conference at the conclusion of a three-day state visit to India, the president announced that he hopes to meet with Trump in the first week of March in Washington, with an agenda focused on trade, investments, immigration, and university cooperation.
"I want to tell President Trump that we do not want a new Cold War. We do not want to interfere in any other country; we want everyone to be treated on equal terms," Lula emphasized to journalists in New Delhi.
The Brazilian leader, who has expressed differences with Washington on issues such as tariffs and foreign policy decisions, refrained from commenting on the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a significant portion of tariffs imposed on global products, later replaced, according to Trump, by 15% levies under another legal framework.
Nevertheless, he considered there to be "relief" for countries facing rates of 40 and 50 percent and expressed confidence that the bilateral relationship "will return to normal," warning that potential taxes on Brazilian goods could generate inflation and affect the American people themselves.
During his review of the visit to India, Lula highlighted Brazil's current moment on the international stage and defended commercial diversification.
"We have no commercial preferences. We have commercial interests, and we will pursue them with anyone willing to engage, as long as it is a win-win policy," he stated.
The president recalled that in just over three years, his government has opened more than 520 new markets for Brazilian products and noted that the country's foreign trade currently stands at around $649 billion, with the goal of reaching one trillion in the future.
Regarding ties with India, he emphasized the agreement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to raise bilateral trade to $20 billion by 2030 and even expressed optimism about reaching $30 billion, after surpassing $15 billion for the first time in 2025.
Lula also advocated for strengthening the BRICS group as a tool to balance global geopolitics and reiterated the need to reform the United Nations, particularly its Security Council, to include more countries from Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
"The world needs more representativeness and effectiveness in the UN," he argued, mentioning nations such as India, Brazil, and Mexico as potential permanent members of an expanded Council.
After his agenda in New Delhi, the Brazilian president departed for South Korea, where he will remain until February 24. (Text and Photo: PL)
