Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva: Don’t want new Cold War, must treat all equally: Lula to Trump | India News
Brazil Prez completes tour of India, likely to visit USA next month
New Delhi: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has warned his US counterpart Donald Trump against starting a new Cold War and said all countries should be treated equally. Lula was speaking before his departure from India, a day after a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi that saw the two sides sign an agreement on cooperation on critical minerals and exchange notes on the US Supreme Court ruling striking down Trump’s sweeping global tariffs.“I want to tell US President Donald Trump that we don’t want a new cold war. We don’t want to intervene in any other country, we want all countries to be treated equally,” Lula said at a press conference. He is likely to travel to Washington next month to meet with Trump.
The president praised the strategic partnership between Brazil and India, describing it as a relationship between peers that avoids the “authoritarianism” often found in negotiations with rich countries.Speaking at the India-Brazil Economic Forum, Lula emphasized the deep-rooted similarities between the two countries and their shared vision for growth. Highlighting the unique nature of these bilateral ties, Lula said, “What’s really more important is that when we’re talking about negotiations with a country like India, we’re not dealing with a colonizer.” He also observed that unlike dealings with rich countries that often fail to account for the happiness of individual nations, “it is different with India”.This balanced power dynamic, where “no one is above the other,” stems from a mutual understanding of shared needs and attitudes, he said.Lula noted that despite the differences in religion and language, there were profound similarities in the challenges that both nations faced. He said this shared vision “made it easier for us to work and establish an action plan” and build partnerships between entrepreneurs on both sides.This ease of collaboration has already resulted in a significant economic trajectory, he added.Since the president’s first visit, trade has grown from $2.4 billion to $10.5 billion. While Prime Minister Modi had previously set a target of $20 billion by 2030, Lula expressed greater ambition, saying, “We will reach $30 billion in trade.”
