Responding to tariffs, sanctions and threats to a multipolar world - the President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Initiated by BRICS Extraordinary Virtual Summit. The main objective was to respond to rising tariffs, sanctions and other unilateral measures threatening global trade stability. According to Reuters, President Lula called the measures "tariff blackmail" and called for deeper economic cooperation and coordination among member countries.
Format and participation
The summit lasted approximately 90 minutes and was held online. Russian President Vladimir Putin joined from his residence in Sochi, and his speech was not publicly available as the meeting was held behind closed doors, TASS reported.
In addition to Putin, the summit was attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Chinese President Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Egyptian President Abd al-Fattah el-Sisi, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates. India was represented by Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar as Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped the summit.
Key messages from the leaders
President Lula stressed the need to strengthen BRICS trade and financial integration and warned against unilateral trade measures. Xi Jinping called for the defence of multilateralism and an open trading system, stressing the importance of the UN and the WTO as pillars of global stability.
India, through Minister Jaishankar, appealed for transparency, equality and inclusiveness in international trade and stressed the special position of developing countries. South African President Ramaphosa described BRICS as a global economic leader capable of reforming the international system. Iranian President Pezeshkian highlighted the harmfulness of unilateral sanctions and stressed that BRICS can play a key role in reforming the world order. Egyptian President el-Sisi criticised the current global system and called for its transformation into a more equitable platform.
Importance for the global order
The summit showed that the BRICS is not only seeking economic cooperation, but also geopolitical balancing of Western influence. The unified critique of protectionism reinforced the perception of BRICS as the spokesperson of the Global South, a group of developing and emerging economies.
The BRICS Extraordinary Virtual Summit on 8 September 2025 reaffirmed the association's commitment to becoming a major player in a multipolar world and to promoting an open, inclusive trading system. Leaders' discussions showed that BRICS wants to actively shape the global economic and political architecture.
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