Leaders of the BRICS nations, meeting in Rio de Janeiro starting this Sunday, are widely expected to issue a strong condemnation of Donald Trump’s hardline trade policies. However, the diverse bloc is reportedly grappling with internal divisions over how to address the escalating crises in the Middle East.
Emerging nations, collectively representing approximately half of the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output, are poised to present a united front against what they perceive as unfair US import tariffs. This stance comes as President Trump continues to threaten allies and rivals with punitive levies since taking office in January. His latest move involves sending letters, starting Friday, to inform trading partners of new tariff rates set to take effect next week on July 9.
Diplomats from the 11 emerging nations comprising BRICS – including founding members Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, alongside new additions like Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and the United Arab Emirates – have been actively drafting a statement to denounce the economic uncertainty fostered by these policies. While the final summit declaration is not anticipated to explicitly name the United States or its president, it is expected to be a clear political message directed at Washington.
Marta Fernandez, director of the BRICS Policy Center at Rio’s Pontifical Catholic University, noted the cautious tone surrounding the summit. “It will be difficult to mention the United States by name in the final declaration,” she stated, highlighting the particular sensitivity for China, which recently engaged in negotiations with the US to lower steep tit-for-tat tariffs. “This doesn’t seem to be the right time to provoke further friction” between the world’s two leading economies, Fernandez added.
Despite the anticipated unity on trade, sources familiar with the negotiations indicate that BRICS countries remain in disagreement on how to respond to the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and between Iran and Israel. Iranian negotiators are reportedly pushing for a tougher collective stance that extends beyond merely referencing the need for a Palestinian state and peaceful dispute resolution. Artificial intelligence and global health cooperation are also on the summit’s agenda.
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