Brics are making people uncomfortable, says Lula on Trump’s tariff threat

Brazil’s President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva pushed back US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose extra tariffs on Brics nations. At the end of Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Lula told reporters, “The world has changed. We don’t want an emperor.”

He described Brics as a group of countries looking for new ways to organise the global economy. “I think that’s why the Brics are making people uncomfortable,” he added.

Lula da Silva’s statement came as Donald Trump imposed higher tariffs on 14 countries, marking a new phase in the trade war he launched earlier this year. According to letters posted by Trump on Truth Social, the new tariffs include 25% on South Korea and Japan, 40% on Myanmar and Laos, 30% on South Africa and Bosnia and Herzegovina, 25% on Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and Tunisia, 32% on Indonesia, 35% on Bangladesh and Serbia, and 36% on Cambodia and Thailand.

However, the news agency Reuters reported that the US administration does not plan to immediately impose a 10% tariff on all BRICS countries. However, the US could act if any of the countries take steps it sees as “anti-American.”

Earlier in the year, Trump had warned the Brics group they could face “100% tariffs” if they challenged the US dollar’s role in global trade.

Lula said on Monday that the world needs other trade options besides the US dollar. “The world needs to find a way that our trade relations don’t have to pass through the dollar,” he said. “Obviously, we have to be responsible about doing that carefully. Our central banks have to discuss it with central banks from other countries. That’s something that happens gradually until it’s consolidated.”

BRICS MEMBERS RESPOND TO US’ THREAT

Other Brics leaders responded carefully to Trump’s warnings. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the group does not want to compete with any other power and expressed hope for a future trade deal with the US.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters, “Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion and pressuring.” She added that Brics stands for “win-win cooperation” and “does not target any country.” A Kremlin spokesperson said Russia’s cooperation in BRICS is based on a “common world view” and “will never be directed against third countries.”

India has not yet officially responded to the US threats.

TRADE TIES WITH US

Many Brics nations rely heavily on trade with the US. New BRICS member Indonesia’s senior economic minister, Airlangga Hartarto, who was attending the summit, was scheduled to visit the US on Monday for tariff talks.

With groups like the G7 and G20 facing divisions and US policies focused on “America First,” Brics has positioned itself as a space for multilateral diplomacy amid global conflicts and trade tensions.

The Brics group began in 2009 with Brazil, Russia, India, and China, adding South Africa later. Last year, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates joined as members. Saudi Arabia has not formally joined but participates as a partner. Over 30 countries have shown interest in joining BRICS as members or partners.

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With inputs from Reuters