(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.

President Lula da Silva and PM Modi discussed the US tariffs impacting both Brazil and India, exploring deeper integration. Lula accepted Modi's invitation to visit India early next year, reinforcing India's upcoming BRICS presidency.

Lula said in a social media post that the hour-long phone conversation focused on the international economic scenario and the “imposition of unilateral tariffs”