The BRICS countries expressed support for multilateralism and opposition to indiscriminate tariffs and non-tariff measures.

In response to the BRICS summit held in Rio de Janeiro, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional tariff on countries that support the policies of the economic bloc led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

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“Any country that aligns itself with the anti-American policies of the BRICS will face an additional 10% tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social.

This is not the first time the U.S. president has issued threats against the BRICS. In January, Trump stated that countries in the group would face tariffs of up to 100% if they failed to support the U.S. dollar and instead sought to introduce a new currency.

During the first day of the 17th BRICS summit, leaders of the bloc rejected the trade protectionism promoted by the U.S. government.

In their economic discussions, the BRICS countries expressed strong support for multilateralism and opposition to indiscriminate tariffs and non-tariff measures.

“The proliferation of restrictive trade measures—whether in the form of indiscriminate tariff hikes and non-tariff measures or protectionism under the pretext of environmental objectives—threatens to further reduce global trade,” the BRICS leaders said in a statement released at the summit.

The opening day of the summit concluded with a 126-point declaration addressing President Trump’s trade war, escalating violence in the Middle East, and the “urgent” need for reform at the United Nations, the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: EFE – AP

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