BRICS Unites in Rio, Trump Responds with Fresh Tariff Threats
&nbsp;
Under the blazing Brazilian sun, the BRICS 2025 summit unfolded in Rio de Janeiro with an unmistakable chill in the air&mdash;one not caused by climate, but by rhetoric. The expanding bloc of emerging economies, once envisioned as a cooperative growth engine for the Global South, now finds itself openly challenging the world's largest economy: the United States.
This year&rsquo;s summit was not merely a gathering of technocrats and trade ministers. It became a platform for geopolitical defiance, as the 10 member states&mdash;Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia and the UAE&mdash;jointly condemned recent US-Israeli strikes on Iranian territory, labelling them &ldquo;illegal&rdquo; under international law.
But what truly turned heads was their unified stance on global trade.
In their closing declaration, the BRICS leadership raised the alarm over what they described as a surge in "unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures," warning such practices risk undermining the very architecture of multilateral trade and development. Though the statement diplomatically avoided naming the United States, the target of the criticism was unmistakable.
<a title="BRICS" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/opinion/trump-threatens-100--tariffs-on-brics-members/2428" target="_blank" rel="noopener">US</a> President Donald Trump, never one to retreat from confrontation, responded swiftly. In a statement from Washington, he warned of an additional 10 percent tariff on countries aligning with BRICS policies deemed &ldquo;anti-American.&rdquo; The move is seen as a direct counterstrike to the bloc&rsquo;s growing assertiveness, particularly in its opposition to what it views as Washington&rsquo;s unchecked use of economic coercion.
Trump&rsquo;s latest salvo comes with a deadline: nations failing to finalise new bilateral trade agreements with the United States by 1 August will see tariffs revert to their elevated April 2 levels, threatening to deepen the divide between emerging powers and the West.
<h3 data-start="2251" data-end="2285">From Consensus to Contestation</h3>
Once hailed as a collaborative platform for shared prosperity, the BRICS now carries the weight of geopolitical resistance. Though the bloc is far from ideologically uniform&mdash;often divided on issues such as Middle East conflicts or institutional reforms&mdash;it has found rare unity in opposing what leaders see as the arbitrary nature of American trade policy.
The irony, of course, lies in the original vision of the BRICS. Created to amplify the voice of fast-growing economies within a Western-dominated world order, the group was built on economic synergy, not confrontation. But Washington's combative trade posture and unilateral actions have transformed the summit into a battleground of ideologies.
This transformation was evident in Rio. The final communiqu&eacute; warned that indiscriminate tariff measures are not only illegal under WTO rules but also detrimental to &ldquo;prospects for global economic development,&rdquo; echoing a wider anxiety among developing nations caught between superpower rivalries.
&nbsp;
ALSO READ: https://www.benefitnews24.com/opinion/can-india-thrive-in-a-de-dollarized-world-/5551
<h3 data-start="3290" data-end="3321">A Missing Centre of Gravity</h3>
Still, the political potency of this year&rsquo;s summit was dulled by the conspicuous absence of President Xi Jinping&mdash;the first time the Chinese leader has skipped a BRICS summit in his 12-year tenure. Without Beijing&rsquo;s highest-level endorsement, efforts to articulate a robust anti-Western economic narrative lacked full momentum.
China, despite its assertive trade position and push for alternatives to the dollar-dominated system, remains cautious about escalating tensions further. Meanwhile, nations like Iran and Russia&mdash;already under heavy sanctions&mdash;are increasingly vocal in pressing BRICS to offer a genuine economic alternative to Western-led platforms.
<h3 data-start="3983" data-end="4000">Looking Ahead</h3>
The weeks leading up to 1 August will be critical. For now, Trump&rsquo;s tariff threats have placed the world on notice. Many countries&mdash;BRICS and beyond&mdash;face a stark choice: fall in line with Washington&rsquo;s bilateralism or stand behind a fractured but increasingly assertive multilateral front.
Whether BRICS can move beyond words and translate unity into coordinated action remains uncertain. But what is clear is this: in Rio, the battle lines of a new trade order were drawn&mdash;not in boardrooms or bureaucracies, but on a political stage where the stakes are no longer merely economic, but deeply strategic.

At Rio Summit, BRICS unites against US trade threats, warns of global economic destabilisation

BRICS Fires Back at Trump’s Tariff Ultimatum

At Rio Summit, BRICS unites against US trade threats, warns of global economic destabilisation

July 7, 2025 | 15:17 IST