BRICS Fails to Unite Against Trade Protectionism in Rio Talks

BRICS foreign ministers met in Rio but could not agree on a joint communique. Brazil issued a statement condemning trade protectionism while expressing concerns over a fragmenting global economy. The U.S. was not named, but its tariff policies under Trump have impacted multilateralism and global trade.

Foreign ministers from the BRICS group, representing developing nations, convened in Rio de Janeiro but failed to agree on a joint communique. Despite this, Brazil, the chair, issued a statement condemning trade protectionism and warning of the potential fragmentation of the global economy and weakening multilateralism efforts.

The United States' implementation of a tariffs-centered trade policy under President Donald Trump has raised global economic concerns. Although U.S. was not named in the statement, its actions presented significant challenges to the expanded BRICS group, now including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Iran.

The BRICS ministers expressed severe concerns about the rise of unilateral protectionist measures that violate WTO rules. Brazilian Foreign Relations Minister Mauro Vieira noted a consensus on the tariffs issue and stated that efforts are underway to draft a final joint statement for the BRICS summit in July.

(With inputs from agencies.)