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Senior diplomats from BRICS nations will gather in Brazil on Monday, aiming to present a united front in response to the escalating trade threats posed by US President Donald Trump’s aggressive policies.
The meeting, held at a pivotal time for the global economy, follows a stark warning from the International Monetary Fund, which downgraded global growth forecasts this week due to the economic disruption caused by Trump’s sweeping new tariffs.
Representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — the core BRICS members — will meet in Rio de Janeiro over two days, laying the groundwork for a leaders’ summit scheduled for July. The expanded group now also includes Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, collectively accounting for nearly half of the world’s population and around 39 percent of global GDP.
Brazil’s BRICS envoy, Mauricio Lyrio, said the ministers are working on a joint declaration that will “reaffirm the centrality and importance of the multilateral trading system,” signalling the bloc’s commitment to oppose protectionism.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has slapped blanket tariffs of 10 percent on dozens of countries, with China facing levies of up to 145 percent on various goods. In retaliation, Beijing has imposed tariffs as high as 125 percent on American products. Trump has further threatened to target BRICS nations with 100 percent tariffs if they are seen to undermine the US dollar.
The meeting will be hosted by Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, among others. Proceedings are set to begin around 11:00 am local time (1400 GMT), with an official statement expected later in the day.
Beyond trade, the agenda will also focus heavily on climate change, particularly in preparation for the United Nations COP30 climate summit to be held in Brazil’s Amazonian city of Belem this November.
Discussions are also expected to touch on the war in Ukraine, as Trump steps up efforts to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
On Tuesday, BRICS ministers will be joined by nine additional “partner” countries, including several former Soviet states, as well as Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Nigeria, further broadening the bloc’s diplomatic reach.
