BRICS group condemns increase of tariffs in summit overshadowed by Middle East tensions

RIO DE JANEIRO AP The BRICS bloc of emerging nations on Sunday condemned the increase of tariffs and attacks on Iran but refrained from naming U S President Donald Trump The group s declaration which also took aim at Israel s military actions in the Middle East also spared its member Russia from criticism and mentioned war-torn Ukraine just once The two-day summit was marked by the absences of two of its largest part powerful members China s President Xi Jinping did not attend a BRICS summit for the first time since he became his country s leader in Russian President Vladimir Putin who spoke via videoconference continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad due to an international arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine In an indirect swipe at the U S the group s declaration raised serious concerns about the rise of tariffs which it noted were inconsistent with WTO World Arrangement Organization rules The BRICS added that those restrictions threaten to reduce global agreement disrupt global supply chains and introduce uncertainty Trump in a post on his social media platform late Sunday disclosed any country that aligns itself with what he termed the Anti-American policies of BRICS would be levied an added tariff Brazil s President Luiz In cio Lula da Silva who hosted the summit criticized NATO s decision to hike military spending by of GDP annually by That sentiment was later echoed in the group s declaration It is dependably easier to invest in war than in peace Lula announced at the opening of the summit which is scheduled to continue on Monday Iran in attendance Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian who was expected to attend the summit before the attacks on his country in June sent his foreign minister Abbas Araghchi to the meeting in Rio The group s declaration criticized the attacks on Iran without mentioning the U S or Israel the two nations that conducted them In his speech Araghchi explained leaders he had pushed for every member of the United Nations to condemn Israel strongly He added Israel and the U S should be accountable for rights violations The Iranian foreign minister stated the aftermath of the war will not be limited to one country The entire region and beyond will be damaged Araghchi noted BRICS leaders expressed grave concern for the humanitarian situation in Gaza called for the release of all hostages a return to the negotiating table and reaffirmed their commitment to the two-state key Later Iran s Araghchi noted in a separate announcement on messaging app Telegram that his regime had expressed its reservation regarding a two-state answer in a note saying it will not work just as it has not worked in the past Also on Telegram Russia s foreign ministry in another message named the U S and Israel and condemned the unprovoked military strikes against Iran Russia spared The group s -page declaration mentions Ukraine just once while condemning in the strongest terms new Ukrainian attacks on Russia We recall our national positions concerning the conflict in Ukraine as expressed in the appropriate fora including the U N Protection Council and the U N General Assembly the group announced Jo o Alfredo Nyegray an international business and geopolitics professor at the Pontifical Catholic University in Parana mentioned the summit could have played a role in showing an alternative to an unstable world but won t do so The withdrawal of Egypt s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the uncertainty about the level of representation for countries like Iran Saudi Arabia and the UAE are confirming the difficulty for the BRICS to establish themselves as a cohesive pole of global leadership Nyegray revealed This moment demands high level articulation but we are definitely seeing dispersion Avoid Trump s tariffs While Lula advocated on Sunday for the overhaul of Western-led global institutions Brazil aimed to avoid becoming the target of higher tariffs Trump has threatened to impose tariffs against the bloc if they take any moves to undermine the dollar Last year at the summit hosted by Russia in Kazan the Kremlin sought to develop alternatives to U S -dominated payment systems which would allow it to dodge Western sanctions imposed after Russia s invasion of Ukraine in February Brazil decided to focus on less controversial issues in the summit such as promoting contract relations between members and global wellness after Trump returned to the White House declared Ana Garcia a professor at the Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University Brazil wants the least amount of damage viable and to avoid drawing the attention of the Trump administration to prevent any type of hazard to the Brazilian financial sector Garcia announced Best opportunity for emerging countries BRICS was founded by Brazil Russia India China and South Africa but the group last year expanded to include Indonesia Iran Egypt Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates As well as new members the bloc has strategic partner countries a category created at last year s summit that includes Belarus Cuba and Vietnam That rapid expansion led Brazil to put housekeeping issues officially termed institutional advance on the agenda to better integrate new members and boost internal cohesion Despite notable absences the summit is vital for attendees especially in the context of instability provoked by Trump s tariff wars mentioned Bruce Scheidl a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo s BRICS analysis group The summit offers the best opportunity for emerging countries to respond in the sense of seeking alternatives and diversifying their economic partnerships Scheidl explained Earlier on Sunday a pro-Israel non-profit placed dozens of rainbow flags on Ipanema beach to protest Iran s policies regarding LGBT people On Saturday human rights group Amnesty International protested Brazil s plans for offshore oil drilling near the mouth of the Amazon River For Lula the summit is a welcome pause from a tough domestic scenario marked by a drop in popularity and conflict with Congress The meeting was also an opportunity to advance atmosphere negotiations and commitments on protecting the atmosphere before November s COP context talks in the Amazonian city of Belem AP journalist Nasser Karimi contributed to this document from Tehran Source