BRICS Diplomats to Meet in Brazil Over Trump’s Trade Policies

Senior diplomats from BRICS nations will meet on Monday in Brazil to present a united front against threats emerging from U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies.

The meeting comes at a critical moment for the global economy, following the International Monetary Fund’s decision this week to slash growth forecasts due to the impact of the American leader’s sweeping new tariffs.

Diplomats from the trading bloc which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, will convene for two days in Rio de Janeiro, ahead of a leaders’ summit scheduled for July.

“The ministers are negotiating a declaration aimed at reaffirming the centrality and importance of the multilateral trading system,” Brazil’s BRICS representative Mauricio Lyrio told reporters Saturday.

The group, which has expanded significantly since its formation in 2009, now includes Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Together, they represent nearly half of the global population and account for 39 percent of global GDP.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed a blanket 10 percent tariff on dozens of countries. China, in particular, faces levies of up to 145 percent on many products. In response, Beijing has retaliated with duties of 125 percent on U.S. goods.

Trump has also threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on BRICS countries if they undercut the U.S. dollar.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira will host the meeting, which will be attended by Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and China’s Wang Yi, among others. Proceedings are scheduled to begin around 11:00 a.m. (1400 GMT), with a statement expected later in the afternoon.

Climate change is expected to feature prominently on the agenda, especially ahead of the United Nations COP30 climate summit in November, to be hosted by Brazil in the Amazonian city of Belém.

The group is also likely to address the war in Ukraine, as Trump seeks to push Russia and Ukraine toward a peace agreement.

On Tuesday, BRICS diplomats will be joined by nine other “partner” countries, including several former Soviet states, along with Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Nigeria.