On April 28, 2025, Nigeria will work together with senior diplomats from BRICS countries in Brazil to tackle the difficulties arising from the aggressive trade policies of US President Donald Trump.
According to Naija News, this meeting holds special importance in light of the International Monetary Fund’s recent downward revision of global growth forecasts due to the effects of new tariffs imposed by the U.S. government.
Diplomats from the BRICS nations—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—will meet over two days in Rio de Janeiro ahead of the leaders’ summit planned for July.
Brazil’s BRICS representative Mauricio Lyrio informed reporters over the weekend, “The ministers are in talks regarding a declaration that seeks to reaffirm the multilateral trading system’s centrality and significance.”
The group, founded in 2009, has experienced significant growth and now includes Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. It comprises almost 50% of the global population and constitutes 39% of worldwide GDP.
After his return to the White House in January, Trump implemented a universal 10 percent tariff on multiple countries, with China facing tariffs of up to 145 percent on different products.
As a countermeasure, Beijing has implemented tariffs of 125 percent on products from the U.S. Trump has cautioned that if BRICS countries weaken the US dollar, tariffs of up to 100 percent could be imposed on them.
The meeting will be led by Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, with participants including Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and China’s Wang Yi. It is scheduled to begin around 11:00 am (1400 GMT), with a statement expected in the afternoon. Climate change is anticipated to be a major focus ahead of the United Nations COP30 climate summit in November, set to occur in Brazil’s Amazonian city of Belem. Additionally, the group will likely discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as Trump seeks to promote a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. On Tuesday, the BRICS will include nine other ‘partner’ countries—several former Soviet states, along with Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Nigeria—for discussions.
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