India-Brazil Alliance Strengthens as Lula Adviser Flags Defence Deals and BRICS Currency Push

India and Brazil are moving toward a deeper strategic partnership spanning defence cooperation, alternative payment systems and coordinated positions within BRICS, as global pushback grows against US tariff pressure and unilateral economic policies.

In an exclusive interview with India Today Global, Celso Amorim, Chief Adviser to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said Brazil is exploring defence cooperation with India, including potential interest in the Akash air defence system, while both countries work toward facilitating trade using their national currencies.

Amorim, a former foreign and defence minister, said Brazil and India—two major Global South economies—see defence collaboration not merely as buyer-seller transactions but as joint development across aerospace, naval systems, space and advanced technologies. He noted earlier cooperation models where Brazilian platforms were integrated with Indian radar and communication systems, stressing that future defence ties would focus on co-production and interoperability.

On BRICS, Amorim said de-dollarisation is not an ideological goal but a natural outcome of shifting global economic realities. He argued that as the US share of the world economy declines, countries will increasingly seek trade settlements in local currencies such as the rupee and the real. He revealed discussions on linking fast payment platforms like Brazil’s PIX with Indian digital payment systems to ease bilateral trade without directly challenging the dollar.

Addressing US President Donald Trump’s criticism of BRICS and threats of tariffs against member countries, Amorim said such pressure was counterproductive and only accelerating cooperation among emerging economies. He described Trump-era tariffs as “absurd” and inconsistent with economic logic, especially when the US runs a trade surplus with Brazil.

Amorim also issued a strong warning against any potential US military action in Venezuela, saying an invasion would destabilise South America, a region historically free of interstate wars. While critical of Caracas’ internal politics, he stressed that regime change by external force would violate international law and regional stability.

On US-Brazil relations, Amorim said President Lula continues dialogue with Washington despite tensions, including over tariffs and US actions affecting Brazilian judicial institutions. He underlined Brazil’s commitment to strategic autonomy—maintaining relations simultaneously with the US, Russia, China and India without aligning exclusively with any bloc.

Amorim said Lula’s upcoming state visit to India in February, coinciding with an artificial intelligence conference, could yield concrete outcomes in defence, digital payments, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and high technology. He highlighted India’s leadership in generic medicines and vaccines as a key area for expanded cooperation.

As global power structures shift, Amorim said India-Brazil ties are emerging as a stabilising force within the Global South, grounded in multilateralism, technological cooperation and shared resistance to economic coercion.