The agendas of the BRICS summit taking place in Brasília, Brazil, have been overshadowed by a warning from U.S. President Donald Trump.
As the 17th summit of BRICS — a group of developing nations comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — is underway, President Trump has issued a threat to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on any country that adopts anti-American policies.
The BRICS nations, still resentful over the U.S. imposing tariffs on steel three months ago, were expected to take a strong stance against that move through a united decision at the summit. Anticipating such a response, Trump appears to have issued his threat in advance to put pressure on those countries.
“Any country that sides with BRICS’ anti-American policy will face an additional 10 percent tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy. Thank you for your attention,” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.
Following Trump’s warning, South Africa’s foreign ministry stated that it is not anti-American and still seeks to engage in trade negotiations with the United States.
“We are still waiting for an official response from the U.S. regarding the trade agreement. Our discussions have been constructive and productive,” Reuters quoted South African Commerce Ministry spokesperson Kamil Ali as saying. “We’ve been in dialogue since the beginning, and we are not anti-American.”
BRICS is an alliance initially formed by five major developing economies — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — and is distinct from other blocs such as NATO or the G7.
In 2006, during the G8 Outreach Summit, leaders from Russia, India, and China announced plans to launch the BRIC alliance. The first meeting of the foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China took place during the 2008 United Nations summit, while the first BRIC summit was held in Russia in 2009. South Africa officially joined the group in 2010, forming what is now known as BRICS. The group’s name comes from the initials of its member countries.
In 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE became full members of BRICS. Following them, Indonesia gained full membership in 2025. Saudi Arabia was also invited to join, but it remains unclear whether it has accepted the invitation, according to CNN.
Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan have joined as partner countries.
These nations together represent 49.5 percent of the world’s population and account for 40 percent of the global economy. BRICS official documents also state that these countries are responsible for 26 percent of global trade.
The group claims to have been established with the aim of creating a “multipolar” world order as an alternative to the Western-dominated global system.
Following President Trump’s warning, China stated it opposes the use of tariffs as a tool of pressure. Although South Africa reiterated that it is not anti-American, other countries have not yet issued official responses. However, some are expected to criticize Trump’s blanket tariff measures as unlawful and harmful to the global economy.
President Trump had previously suspended the implementation of the so-called reciprocal tariffs for three months. That suspension is set to expire on July 9. The Trump administration reportedly aims to finalize trade deals with several countries before that deadline. U.S. media reports indicate that countries failing to reach an agreement may face retaliatory tariffs.
As the suspension deadline nears — set to expire on Wednesday — Trump announced Sunday night that letters will be sent to dozens of countries starting Monday. Posting on Truth Social, he wrote:
“I am pleased to announce that starting from 12:00 noon on July 7, the United States will begin sending letters to various countries either proposing trade deals or informing them about tariff decisions.”
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant stated that if a country is unable to advance trade negotiations, tariffs will return to the same level as those imposed on April 2, beginning August 1. While Trump had announced initial tariffs ranging from 10 to 70 percent, Besant noted — according to CNN — that the highest rate will not be applied to key trade partners.
Though Trump has claimed to have signed 200 trade agreements so far, he has not revealed with which countries. Only agreements with the UK, China, and Vietnam have been publicly disclosed.
Before Trump’s latest warning, India had already stated it would only sign trade agreements if both sides benefitted equally (a win–win situation). The Indian delegation sent for trade negotiations with the U.S. has returned, and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has clearly stated that India will not sign any agreement within a set deadline — indicating that no deal will be made before April 9.
Putin did not attend due to possibility of arrest
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not attend the summit due to the possibility of arrest. In 2022, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him for his role in the invasion of Ukraine. Since Brazil is a signatory to the Rome Statute, it would be obligated to enforce the arrest warrant.
In such circumstances, there was a risk that Brazil would have to detain Putin upon his arrival and hand him over to the ICC. As a result, he decided not to participate in the summit, according to Al Jazeera.
The absence of these two powerful leaders has led some to question the global influence of the BRICS group. However, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi are attending the summit.
