BRICS nations’ heads of state assemble while confronting US President’s trade restrictions – DW – 07/07/2025

Leaders from the growing BRICS group of developing nations met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, to reaffirm the bloc’s commitment to the principles of multilateralism. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened the event by stating that the world is witnessing an unprecedented collapse of multilateralism. He emphasized that if international governance fails to reflect the new reality of a multipolar world, it is the responsibility of the BRICS countries to help bring about the necessary changes. Lula also criticized the NATO alliance, accusing it of fueling a global arms race after setting an ambitious defense spending target of 5% of GDP last month. During the summit, BRICS leaders also expressed their concerns regarding US President Donald Trump’s “indiscriminate” tariff policy, voicing serious concerns about the rise of unilateral measures which they believe distort trade and contradict WTO rules. This year, both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin chose not to attend the summit in person, though Putin participated via videoconference, due in part to being wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The BRICS grouping, initially formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded to include other countries and represents a significant portion of the global population. The summit strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir in April and reaffirmed their commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms. Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru

Source: https://www.dw.com/en/brics-leaders-meet-amid-trump-s-tariff-threats/a-73177943?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf