Kremlin: BRICS Poses No Threat Despite Trump Warning

The Kremlin said Monday that the BRICS group is not a threat to third countries but rather a partnership based on cooperation, following US President Donald Trump's threat to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on nations supporting the economic bloc.

The group, led mainly by China and Russia, focuses on fostering economic collaboration among its member states. "It's important to emphasize that BRICS is an association of countries united by shared approaches and a common vision of how to build cooperation rooted in their own interests," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. "This interaction has never been, and will never be, aimed against any third parties," Peskov added, according to the official TASS news agency. The Kremlin's comments came a day after Trump warned that countries aligning with BRICS policies would face additional tariffs.

Any country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an additional 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social. These developments coincided with the BRICS summit held Jul. 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where member nations discussed a range of topics including trade, investment, finance, health care, climate change, artificial intelligence, and global security.

The 17th BRICS summit, attended by leaders from 11 member states, was held under tight security and notable for the virtual participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a final declaration, the bloc addressed Trump's trade war, escalating violence in the Middle East, and the need for urgent reforms in global institutions such as the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund. "We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules," the declaration said. EFE mos/bks/sc