The 17th annual BRICS Summit enters its second and final day on Monday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, marking a moment of increasing unity and global ambition for the bloc. With growing membership and an increasingly assertive posture, the group appears poised to further shape the geopolitical landscape.
In a comprehensive and wide-ranging final declaration issued on Sunday, BRICS member states aligned on key international issues, delivering a message of solidarity on trade, regional conflicts, and global governance. While the language in the declaration varied between direct and measured, the underlying message was one of deepening cooperation and resolve.
The statement voiced “serious concerns” over rising unilateral protectionist measures—widely interpreted as a rebuke of U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs policy—though the United States was not explicitly named. The declaration also strongly condemned military strikes on Iran, another clear though indirect criticism of U.S. and Israeli military actions during the recent regional conflict.
One of the most notable aspects of the declaration was its condemnation of the May 31–June 1 attacks in Russia’s Bryansk and Kursk regions, which saw the bombing of railway bridges and resulted in eight civilian deaths and over 100 injuries. The mention signals a potential shift in the bloc’s posture—moving from cautious neutrality to more explicit support for fellow members facing security threats.
While the statement called for an “unconditional ceasefire” in Gaza, it notably omitted any reference to the war in Ukraine, perhaps reflecting divisions within the bloc on how to address the conflict or a strategic decision to sidestep an issue heavily intertwined with U.S. foreign policy.
On the economic front, the declaration’s most significant development was a commitment to enhancing cross-border payments using local currencies in intra-BRICS trade. This move, long in discussion, is viewed as a critical step toward reducing dependency on the U.S. dollar and the SWIFT banking system. Earlier this year, President Trump declared BRICS to be “dead” and threatened 100% tariffs on any BRICS nation that opted to move away from the dollar for trade.
Analysts suggest that successful implementation of this initiative could shield BRICS economies from Western financial sanctions and reduce U.S. surveillance over their financial transactions.
The summit also marked a major milestone in the bloc’s expansion. The declaration welcomed 10 new “partner countries” into the BRICS framework: Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, and Vietnam. These countries had originally been invited at last year’s summit in Kazan. Indonesia, initially slated as a partner country, officially became a full member earlier this year. Turkey and Algeria, also invited, have yet to finalize their accession.
India will assume the BRICS presidency in 2026, though the host city for next year’s summit has not yet been announced.