Leaders at the BRICS summit have criticised U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threat to impose an additional tariff on countries aligning with their bloc, reaffirming their commitment to reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar.
The 11-nation group, which includes China, Russia, Iran, and Brazil, concluded its meeting in Rio de Janeiro with strong words against Washington’s trade policies. While their final statement did not name the United States directly, Trump’s social media post on Sunday warning of an extra 10% tariff on BRICS-aligned countries sparked anger.
Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva described Trump’s remarks as “very mistaken and very irresponsible,” adding at a Monday press conference, “The world has changed. We don’t want an emperor. We are sovereign countries.”
Lula also reaffirmed BRICS’ aim to reduce dependence on the dollar, saying the shift would happen “step by step until it is consolidated,” and added, “Nobody has determined that the dollar is the currency standard.”
Although specific mechanisms were not outlined, BRICS central banks have been exploring alternative international payment systems to bypass the dollar.
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa criticized those “seeking vengeance against those doing good in the world,” saying it was disappointing that positive collective efforts like BRICS were met with threats.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, attending in place of President Vladimir Putin, said Trump’s tariff threats illustrated that the U.S.-led model of globalization was no longer viable. Lavrov accused Washington of “flagrantly abusing” the dollar’s dominant role in international finance.
Despite Western doubts about BRICS’ coherence, given its mix of autocracies and democracies, the large number of developing countries participating as observers or associate members at the Rio Summit underlined its growing influence in the Global South.
Bolivia’s President Luis Arce told Russian media outlet RT that the summit highlighted the divide between the “old stagnant bloc of the US and Europe” and the rising BRICS nations.
Although internal differences remain, BRICS leaders united in calling for comprehensive reforms of the United Nations, IMF, and World Bank to better reflect current global realities rather than post-World War II structures.
Russia and Iran both secured diplomatic backing in the summit’s final statement. Moscow obtained condemnation of attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia by Ukraine, though Russian strikes on Ukraine were not mentioned. Iran gained support by denouncing recent military strikes against it and concern over attacks on peaceful nuclear facilities, without directly naming the US or Israel.
However, Marcos Troyjo, former head of the BRICS development bank, criticized the bloc’s current trajectory, arguing it has shifted from its original purpose as an elite emerging market group towards “third world-ism.” Referring to the summit’s lengthy final declaration, he said BRICS had become like the Olympics, adding jokingly, “Every sport has to be represented.”
