WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump issued warning, declaring that any country aligning itself with BRICS alliance will face an additional 10pc tariff as the development coincided with opening of BRICS summit in seaside city in Brazil, where leaders of the expanding bloc gathered to discuss trade, diplomacy, and development.
In a social media post, POTUS said there will be no exceptions to this policy, saying any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS will face music.
BRICS group recently expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, and UAE and 30 additional countries have expressed interest in joining or partnering with the bloc.
In a joint statement from the summit, BRICS leaders lamented global surge in tariffs, calling it threat to international trade and economic cooperation. The message was seen as a thinly veiled critique of Trump’s protectionist stance.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva opened summit by drawing parallels between BRICS and the Cold War-era Non-Aligned Movement, highlighting the group’s commitment to multilateralism in a world he said is increasingly divided.
He noted that BRICS countries now represent more than half of the global population and account for roughly 40% of the world’s economic output. He also stressed the bloc’s role in pushing for reforms at institutions like the United Nations and International Monetary Fund.
