President Donald Trump announced that the US will impose an additional 10 tariff on any nation aligning with the anti-American policies of the BRICS group of developing countries, whose leaders are meeting for a significant summit in Brazil on Sunday.
As forums like the G7 and G20 struggle with internal divisions and the divisive America First strategy of the US president, BRICS is positioning itself as a refuge for multilateral diplomacy amid ongoing conflicts and trade disputes.
During the opening remarks at the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazils President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva drew parallels with the Cold Wars Non-Aligned Movement, a coalition of developing nations that refrained from siding with either bloc in a divided global landscape.
In a joint statement released on Sunday afternoon, the group cautioned that the rise in tariffs poses a threat to global trade, subtly criticising Trump's US tariff strategies.
BRICS is the heir to the Non-Aligned Movement, Lula told leaders. With multilateralism under attack, our autonomy is in check once again.