Fact Check: Is Viral PM Modi–Lula Video From Recent SCO Summit?

A video showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva, is being shared across social media platforms as if recorded at the recently concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

The archived posts can be seen here, here and here.

Also Read: Old Moscow Video Shared As PM Modi With Russian President Putin At SCO Summit In China

Evidence

1. No reports of Lula at the 2025 SCO summit

Leading media outlets (Reuters, Al Jazeera, NDTV, AP, Times of India) extensively covered the 2025 SCO summit in Tianjin. They reported that attending leaders included Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Narendra Modi—but not Brazil president Lula da Silva.

2. Lula was present at the 2025 BRICS summit, not SCO

President Lula did host the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6–7, 2025, where he met PM Modi and other BRICS leaders. There’s no connection between that event and the Shanghai summit. Also, the word “BRICS” is clearly visible on the hoarding in the background in the viral video, further indicating that it is not from the SCO summit.

Using a reverse image search, we traced the video to Brazilian president Lula’s official Instagram account (@lulaoficial), where it was originally posted on July 6, 2025, showing him greeting PM Narendra Modi at the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The YouTube video of ANI titled “PM Modi shakes hand with Brazilian Prez Lula da Silva as he arrives at BRICS Summit 2025” dated July 6,2025 shows Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeting Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a warm handshake upon arrival.

Verdict

The video shows PM Modi and President Lula at the 17th BRICS summit, not at the SCO summit.

Also Read: Old G20 Photo Of PM Modi, Putin And Xi Misattributed As 2025 SCO Summit Image

FAQs
Q1. Is the video of PM Modi and Brazil president Lula da Silva  from the SCO Summit?
No. The video comes from the 17th BRICS Summit, not the SCO Summit.
Q2. How can I tell if a political video is misattributed?
Look for clues in surroundings, check who else is present and compare trusted news reports. Reverse-search tools or official gov/social media accounts help too.
Q3. Why are BRICS and SCO events confused?
They often involve overlapping leaders and occur around similar times, but the groups have different member states and contexts.
Q4. Where did the video actually originate?
It’s from the BRICS Summit, not in Tianjin or related to SCO. It specifically shows a warm interaction between Modi and Lula at that gathering—confirmed by media reporting.
Q5. What’s the harm in mislabelling such footage?
When videos are mislabeled, it creates a wrong narrative about available international interactions — skewing perceptions of diplomatic relations or event significance.

Sources
Instagram post, Brazilian President Lula, July 6,2025
YouTube video, ANI, July 6,2025