The focus of the BRICS summit in Brazil’
According to France 24, amid the trade war that US President Donald Trump has launched against countries around the world, most of which are its partners, senior BRICS diplomats will meet today in Brazil.
The International Monetary Fund this week lowered its forecast for global economic growth, citing the negative effects of new and extensive US tariffs, and as a result, the meeting will be held at a critical time for the global economy.
The meeting will bring together senior diplomats from countries such as Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the BRICS, as well as Russia, India, China, and South Africa, for two days in Rio de Janeiro. The leaders of the group are due to meet at a summit in July.
Mauricio Lirio, Brazil’s representative to the BRICS, said about the meeting that ministers are negotiating a common position with the aim of emphasizing the centrality and importance of this multilateral trading mechanism.
BRICS has expanded significantly since its inception in 2009, with other countries including Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates now joining. The group accounts for about half of the world’s population and 39 percent of global GDP.
Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has targeted dozens of countries with a base tariff of 10 percent, but China has been hit with a 145 percent tariff. Beijing has responded by imposing a 125 percent tariff on American goods.
The US president has also threatened BRICS countries with 100 percent tariffs if they try to undermine the value of the US dollar.