MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Tariffs came up at the annual meeting of BRICS over the weekend. That stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The group of emerging economies, which actually includes more countries now, has challenged what it sees as U.S. dominance in global affairs. Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for less global confrontation, but that didn't go over well with President Trump. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: The BRICS 31-page summit statement covered a lot of international territory and plenty of criticism among those who called out the, quote, "indiscriminate rising of tariffs" but stopped short of directly naming the U.S. or Trump. That toned-down declaration by BRICS leaders and diplomats apparently wasn't cautious enough, says Oliver Stuenkel with Brazil's FGV University.
OLIVER STUENKEL: They probably believed that they could fly below the radar of Trump as long as they didn't mention the United States, but that clearly failed.
KAHN: Trump followed with a terse post on social media threatening to slap an additional 10% tariff on, quote, "any country aligning themselves with the anti-American policies of BRICS." Founding member South Africa entered into the Trump fray. Its president said the powerful can't seek vengeance against, quote, "those who are seeking to do good in the world." Trump announced 30% tariffs on South African goods starting August 1.
There had been worries that the BRICS group was losing relevance as it continued to expand beyond its original members. Consensus among the divergent countries, now including Indonesia and several Middle Eastern nations, has been difficult. However, the group did manage to dial down criticism of its own. Russia's Vladimir Putin faced no rebuke over the war in Ukraine, and Iran was called out not for its nuclear program but as a victim of Israeli airstrikes. Brazil's president tried to end on a positive note and not let Trump's tariff threats draw too much focus.
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PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: "We are a group wanting to create another way," said Lula, "with more focus on human relations and development and not confrontation."
Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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