Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke by phone on Thursday, Modi's office said in a statement, a day after the Brazilian leader said he would initiate a conversation among the BRICS group on tackling U.

India, which now faces among the highest tariff rates imposed by the US, called the levy "unjustified and unreasonable".

India has unexpectedly become a key target in Washington's latest push to pressure Russia over the Ukraine war. On Wednesday, Donald Trump doubled US tariffs on India to 50%, up from 25%, penalising Delhi for purchasing Russian oil - a move India called "unfair" and "unjustified".