Brics leaders silent about Trump’s threat of more US tariffs on member nations

The leaders of Brics nations remained silent on Monday in the face of US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threat against the bloc, offering no public response to what critics called an alarming act of economic intimidation.

Trump said on Sunday that he would impose an additional 10 per cent tariffs on imports from Brics members and aligned countries that pursue what he called the group’s “anti-American policies” after Brics issued a leaders’ declaration condemning tariffs, unilateralism and protectionism without naming the US.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in opening remarks on the final day of the leaders’ summit in Rio de Janeiro, spoke about climate change and global health but did not address tariffs or Trump.

Lula was expected to hold a news conference later in the day, though, in which that could change.

Others were not so quiet. Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Sunday that Trump’s latest statement on Brics had been “noticed”, Russia’s state-owned news agency Tass reported.

Beijing also reacted to the US president’s comments, with Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying on Monday that Brics “is not a bloc for confrontation, nor does it target any country”.