On Monday, April 28, 2025, Nigeria will meet with top diplomats from the BRICS countries in Brazil to jointly tackle the issues raised by US President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies.
According to reports, this meeting is especially important in light of the International Monetary Fund’s recent downgrade of its projections for global growth, which was caused by the effects of the new tariffs imposed by the US administration.
Diplomats from the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—will meet for two days in Rio de Janeiro as a prelude to the July leaders’ summit.
Over the weekend, Mauricio Lyrio, Brazil’s BRICS delegate, said reporters that the ministers were negotiating a statement that would emphasize the importance and centrality of the multilateral trading system.
The group has expanded significantly since its founding in 2009 and currently includes Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. It contributes 39% of the global GDP and is home to about half of the world’s population.
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Trump has slapped a universal 10 percent tariff on many nations since he returned to the White House in January, while China is subject to duties of up to 145 percent on a range of goods.
Beijing has responded by imposing 125 percent levies on American imports. If the BRICS countries devalue the US dollar, Trump has threatened to impose 100 percent taxes on them.
Mauro Vieira, the foreign minister of Brazil, will host the meeting, which will be attended by Wang Yi of China and Sergei Lavrov of Russia. It is scheduled to start about 11:00 am (1400 GMT), and a statement is expected in the afternoon.
Ahead of the United Nations COP30 climate summit in November, which will be held in the Amazonian city of Belem, Brazil, climate change is anticipated to be a major theme.
Additionally, as Trump wants to help Russia and Ukraine reach a peace deal, the group is probably going to talk about the current crisis in Ukraine.
Nine additional “partner” nations, including six former Soviet states, as well as Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Nigeria, will join the BRICS on Tuesday for talks.
