BRICS leaders convened an emergency virtual meeting on Monday, responding to mounting US trade tariffs as major emerging economies rallied to protect multilateral principles against what they described as increasingly aggressive American trade actions.
The emergency session, hosted by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was triggered by Washington’s steep tariffs reaching 50% on exports from multiple BRICS nations, following President Donald Trump’s July 30 executive order that specifically targeted Brazilian products while sparing certain strategic industries, including aerospace and energy.
“Tariff blackmail is being normalized as an instrument for market conquest and to interfere in domestic affairs,” Lula said during the meeting, which included Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
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Xi delivered what Beijing called an “important address,” while Putin participated via video link due to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant that limits his travel options.
Leaders addressed concerns about increasing unilateral trade policies and examined methods to enhance cooperation among member states. India’s Foreign Minister Jaishankar emphasized the need for economic practices that are “fair, transparent and to everyone’s benefit.”
Beyond addressing trade disputes, leaders also discussed wide-ranging reforms to international governance structures, including proposals to strengthen the World Trade Organization and restructure the UN Security Council.
As the current BRICS chair, Brazil positioned the emergency session as supporting international cooperation principles rather than launching a direct challenge to Washington.
The BRICS bloc, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and most recently Indonesia in January 2025.
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