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Trump against BRICS: ‘Additional 10% tariffs on those who support anti-American policies’

During the summit in Rio de Janeiro, the US president threatened new tariffs against BRICS countries and those who align themselves with their policies. The group replied: ‘We are not a bloc for confrontation’

US President Donald Trump has launched a new attack on the BRICS group, threatening to introduce additional 10% tariffs against ‘any country that aligns itself with the anti-American policies’ of the bloc. He wrote this in a post published on his social network Truth, emphasising that ‘there will be no exceptions’.

The BRICS group, founded in 2006, now includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (since 2011), and has recently extended its reach to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. According to the bloc’s official website, currently chaired by Brazil, Saudi Arabia is also participating in the summit in Rio de Janeiro as a guest country.

BRICS defines itself as a platform for political, economic and diplomatic cooperation between countries in the Global South, with the aim of strengthening their influence in global governance and promoting development and social inclusion. Official partners include countries such as Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan. Vietnam, named as a new partner, recently announced a trade cooperation agreement with Trump, which provides for zero tariffs on US exports and 20% tariffs on Vietnamese imports.

Trump had already threatened tariffs of up to 100% if the BRICS countries launched an alternative currency to the dollar. Now the accusation is broader and comes at a delicate moment: 9 July is the deadline for avoiding new reciprocal measures between the United States and other countries involved in global trade.

During the Rio summit, the BRICS countries responded indirectly, criticising the tariff strategy and unilateral policies that, in their view, damage global trade and threaten supply chains. ‘The proliferation of restrictive trade initiatives risks exacerbating economic inequalities and undermining global growth prospects,’ reads the official statement, which does not explicitly mention Trump.

Beijing responded with a clear statement: ‘BRICS is not a bloc for confrontation,’ while the Kremlin reiterated that cooperation between the group’s members ‘has never been, and will never be, directed against third countries,’ as stated by spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

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