BRICS group condemns increase of tariffs in summit overshadowed by
Middle East tensions
[July 07, 2025] By
MAURICIO SAVARESE and ELÉONORE HUGHES
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The BRICS bloc of developing nations on Sunday
condemned the increase of tariffs and attacks on Iran, but refrained
from naming U.S. President Donald Trump. The group's declaration, which
also took aim at Israel's military actions in the Middle East, also
spared its member Russia from criticism and mentioned war-torn Ukraine
just once.
The two-day summit was marked by the absences of two of its most
powerful members. China’s President Xi Jinping did not attend a BRICS
summit for the first time since he became his country’s leader in 2012.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke via videoconference,
continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad due to an international
arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine.
In an indirect swipe at the U.S., the group's declaration raised
“serious concerns” about the rise of tariffs which it said were
“inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules.” The BRICS
added that those restrictions “threaten to reduce global trade, disrupt
global supply chains, and introduce uncertainty.”
Trump, in a post on his social media platform late Sunday, said any
country that aligns itself with what he termed “the Anti-American
policies of BRICS” would be levied an added 10% tariff.
Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who hosted the summit,
criticized NATO's decision to hike military spending by 5% of GDP
annually by 2035. That sentiment was later echoed in the group's
declaration.
“It is always easier to invest in war than in peace,” Lula said at the
opening of the summit, which is scheduled to continue on Monday.
Iran in attendance
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who was expected to attend the
summit before the attacks on his country in June, sent his foreign
minister Abbas Araghchi to the meeting in Rio.
The group's declaration criticized the attacks on Iran without
mentioning the U.S. or Israel, the two nations that conducted them.
In his speech, Araghchi told leaders he had pushed for every member of
the United Nations to condemn Israel strongly. He added Israel and the
U.S. should be accountable for rights violations. The Iranian foreign
minister said the aftermath of the war “will not be limited” to one
country.
“The entire region and beyond will be damaged,” Araghchi said.
BRICS leaders expressed “grave concern” for the humanitarian situation
in Gaza, called for the release of all hostages, a return to the
negotiating table and reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state
solution.
Later, Iran's Araghchi said in a separate statement on messaging app
Telegram that his government had expressed its reservation regarding a
two-state solution in a note, saying it will not work “just as it has
not worked in the past.”
Also on Telegram, Russia’s foreign ministry in another statement named
the U.S. and Israel, and condemned the “unprovoked military strikes”
against Iran.
Russia spared
The group's 31-page declaration mentions Ukraine just once, while
condemning “in the strongest terms” recent Ukrainian attacks on Russia.
“We recall our national positions concerning the conflict in Ukraine as
expressed in the appropriate fora, including the U.N. Security Council
and the U.N. General Assembly,” the group said.
João Alfredo Nyegray, an international business and geopolitics
professor at the Pontifical Catholic University in Parana, said the
summit could have played a role in showing an alternative to an unstable
world, but won’t do so.
[to top of second column] |
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, second from right, chats with
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during the 17th annual
BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, July 6, 2025. (AP
Photo/Silvia Izquierdo)
“The withdrawal of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the
uncertainty about the level of representation for countries like Iran,
Saudi Arabia and the UAE are confirming the difficulty for the BRICS to
establish themselves as a cohesive pole of global leadership,” Nyegray
said. “This moment demands high level articulation, but we are actually
seeing dispersion.”
Avoid Trump's tariffs
While Lula advocated on Sunday for the reform of Western-led global
institutions, Brazil aimed to avoid becoming the target of higher
tariffs.
Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs against the bloc if they
take any moves to undermine the dollar. Last year, at the summit hosted
by Russia in Kazan, the Kremlin sought to develop alternatives to
U.S.-dominated payment systems which would allow it to dodge Western
sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022
Brazil decided to focus on less controversial issues in the summit, such
as promoting trade relations between members and global health, after
Trump returned to the White House, said Ana Garcia, a professor at the
Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University.
“Brazil wants the least amount of damage possible and to avoid drawing
the attention of the Trump administration to prevent any type of risk to
the Brazilian economy,” Garcia said.
'Best opportunity for emerging countries'
BRICS was founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, but
the group last year expanded to include Indonesia, Iran, Egypt,
Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.
As well as new members, the bloc has 10 strategic partner countries, a
category created at last year’s summit that includes Belarus, Cuba and
Vietnam.
That rapid expansion led Brazil to put housekeeping issues — officially
termed institutional development — on the agenda to better integrate new
members and boost internal cohesion.
Despite notable absences, the summit is important for attendees,
especially in the context of instability provoked by Trump’s tariff
wars, said Bruce Scheidl, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo’s
BRICS study group.
“The summit offers the best opportunity for emerging countries to
respond, in the sense of seeking alternatives and diversifying their
economic partnerships,” Scheidl said.
Earlier on Sunday, a pro-Israel non-profit placed dozens of rainbow
flags on Ipanema beach to protest Iran's policies regarding LGBT+
people. On Saturday, human rights group Amnesty International protested
Brazil's plans for offshore oil drilling near the mouth of the Amazon
River.
For Lula, the summit is a welcome pause from a difficult domestic
scenario, marked by a drop in popularity and conflict with Congress.
The meeting was also an opportunity to advance climate negotiations and
commitments on protecting the environment before November's COP 30
climate talks in the Amazonian city of Belem.
____
AP journalist Nasser Karimi contributed to this report from Tehran.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
