Putin Participates in an Exceptional Virtual Summit for the BRICS Group

SadaNews - Russian President Vladimir Putin is participating today, Monday, in an exceptional virtual summit for the "BRICS" group, called by Brazil to discuss U.S. trade policies.

According to media reports, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will hold an emergency virtual summit for the "BRICS" countries today to discuss the trade policies implemented by the White House under President Donald Trump. It is expected that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will participate in the summit.

The virtual summit is slated to commence today at 15:00 Moscow time, according to information from Bloomberg citing informed sources. The session will be held privately, with no joint statement to be issued at its conclusion.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the Russian president will participate in the virtual summit convened by Brazil.

What is the background of the crisis?

The summit invitation came in response to President Trump signing a presidential decree on July 30, imposing 50% tariffs on Brazil, justifying it with claims that certain actions "represented a threat to the United States." Trump warned that any country supporting "anti-American" policies within the "BRICS" framework would be subject to additional tariffs.

In response to these actions, Lula da Silva announced his country's intention to focus on finding new trade partners, and Brazil launched a mechanism to resolve disputes within the World Trade Organization, requesting consultations with Washington.

The Brazilian authority has 30 days to determine whether the American actions fall under retaliatory measures. The Latin American country believes this step will contribute to accelerating dialogue and negotiations.

What is the BRICS group?

BRICS is a political and economic group that began negotiations for its formation in 2006 and held its first summit in 2009. The group initially included Brazil, Russia, India, and China under the name "BRIC," and South Africa joined in 2011, making it "BRICS."

In 2024, Egypt, the UAE, Iran, and Ethiopia joined the group, and early this year 2025, Indonesia became a member of "BRICS," while Saudi Arabia holds the status of a "guest country."

The group aims to form a multipolar international political and economic system, where its member countries occupy a quarter of the world’s land, with 40% of the world’s population and accounting for 40% of global output.

Source: RT + Novosti