BRICS Confronts Trump: The Difficult Construction of a Multipolar Order

Source: Brasil 247 | Original Published At: 2026-09-13 15:24:39 UTC

Key Points

• The 18th BRICS summit was held in New Delhi on September 12 and 13 and produced a declaration condemning unilateral tariffs, non-tariff barriers, protectionism and unauthorized economic sanctions.
• The declaration did not name US President Donald Trump, but the article frames it as a direct response to US economic coercion and threats to sovereign policy choices.
• BRICS committed to expanding the use of national currencies in trade and investment and to strengthening alternative payment and financing arrangements.
• The New Development Bank was highlighted as a strategic institution for infrastructure, energy transition and development finance, though it needs greater financial capacity and more local-currency lending.
• Brazil was represented by Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, and the article notes that President Lula's absence reduced Brazil's political weight at the summit.
• The summit showed both BRICS's growing role in promoting multipolarity and its internal limits, including divergences over Middle East conflicts and tensions between China and India.