Overview

• The summit marked the bloc’s first meeting with eleven members, held in Rio de Janeiro with Xi Jinping absent and Vladimir Putin joining by video link.
• Members issued a declaration expressing serious concern over unilateral tariffs and non-tariff barriers without explicitly naming President Trump.
• The bloc condemned military attacks on Iran, demanded an immediate, permanent, unconditional Gaza ceasefire and stopped short of explicit references to Israel or the United States reflecting member divisions.
• Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva proposed creating an alternative BRICS commercial currency, with ministers backing plans for national currencies and digital assets to bypass SWIFT.
• The declaration reaffirmed commitment to multilateralism and called for reforms of institutions such as the UN Security Council and the IMF.