(Reuters) -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.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“The two leaders exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest,” Modi’s office said in the statement, without explicitly mentioning Trump or his tariffs.
The BRICS group also includes Russia and South Africa.
India is already signalling it may seek to rebalance its global partnerships after Trump’s salvo of tariffs on Indian goods.
Trump announced an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods on Wednesday, raising the total duty to 50% — among the highest imposed on any U.S. trading partner. The additional tariff, effective August 28, is meant to penalise India for continuing to buy Russian oil, Trump has said.
Modi is preparing for his first visit to China in more than seven years, suggesting a potential diplomatic realignment amid growing tensions with Washington.
(Reporting by Devika Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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