Senior diplomats from BRICS nations will gather in Brazil (today/Monday), aiming to present a unified stance against mounting threats from U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies.
The meeting, taking place in Rio de Janeiro over two days, comes at a pivotal moment for the global economy, following the International Monetary Fund’s recent downgrade of growth forecasts due to the impact of new U.S. tariffs.
Officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — the founding BRICS members — will use the talks as a lead-up to the group’s leaders’ summit scheduled for July.
“The ministers are working on a declaration that reaffirms the importance of the multilateral trading system,” Brazil’s BRICS representative, Mauricio Lyrio, told reporters.
Since its formation in 2009, BRICS has significantly expanded, now including Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. The bloc represents nearly half of the world’s population and accounts for about 39% of global GDP.
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has implemented a 10% tariff across a range of imports from multiple countries, with China facing tariffs as high as 145% on certain products. Beijing has retaliated with duties of up to 125% on U.S. goods. Trump has also threatened to impose 100% tariffs on BRICS nations if they are perceived to undermine the U.S. dollar.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira will host the discussions, alongside notable figures like Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and China’s Wang Yi.
The formal talks are expected to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (1400 GMT), with a statement anticipated later in the day.
Climate change will be a major topic ahead of the United Nations COP30 summit in November, which Brazil will host in the Amazonian city of Belém. Other key issues on the agenda include the ongoing war in Ukraine, amid Trump’s push for a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
On Tuesday, BRICS will be joined by nine additional “partner” nations, including several former Soviet states as well as Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Nigeria, for broader discussions.
