Nigeria is set to join senior diplomats from BRICS nations in Brazil on Monday, April 28, 2025, to strategize on responding to U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade policies.
According to reports, the gathering gains importance following the International Monetary Fund’s recent downgrade of global growth projections, largely blamed on the new tariffs imposed by Trump’s administration.
Diplomats from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa the core BRICS members will meet over two days in Rio de Janeiro as a lead-up to the group’s leaders’ summit scheduled for July.
Brazil’s BRICS envoy, Mauricio Lyrio, stated that discussions will focus on drafting a declaration to reinforce the multilateral trading system’s relevance.
Since its creation in 2009, BRICS has expanded to include Iran, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, now representing nearly half of the world’s population and 39 percent of global GDP.
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has implemented a sweeping 10 percent tariff on multiple countries, with tariffs on Chinese goods reaching as high as 145 percent.
In response, China has imposed 125 percent duties on U.S. imports.
Trump has further threatened 100 percent tariffs on BRICS nations if they act against the U.S. dollar’s dominance.
The Brazilian Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, will host the meeting, which will also feature key figures like Russia’s Sergei Lavrov and China’s Wang Yi. Proceedings are set to begin around **11:00 am (1400 GMT)**, with an official statement expected later in the day.
Climate change will also feature prominently on the agenda, particularly ahead of the COP30 United Nations climate summit in November, to be held in Belem, Brazil.
The BRICS group is additionally expected to deliberate on the ongoing Ukraine conflict, as Trump pushes for a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.
On Tuesday, the discussions will expand to include nine additional partner countries, such as former Soviet republics, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Nigeria.