Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6-7, 2025. The leaders had heartfelt talks about important topics like making global systems fairer, giving more say to developing countries, ensuring peace and safety, supporting global cooperation, tackling development challenges, and exploring artificial intelligence. PM Modi expressed his gratitude to Brazil’s President for their kind welcome and for hosting a great summit.
BRICS SUMMIT 2025: On Sunday, Brazil kicked off a two-day BRICS summit, where leaders discussed various global issues. The main focus was on condemning the recent attack on Iran and criticizing trade tariffs, though the U.S. and President Donald Trump were not mentioned by name. The joint BRICS statement also criticized Israel’s military actions in the Middle East. Interestingly, in the 31 page statement, Ukraine was mentioned only once, and that was to condemn Ukrainian attacks on Russia. For context, BRICS is a group of five countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
Two major leaders were absent from the summit
For the first time, China’s President Xi Jinping did not attend the meeting. Meanwhile, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin joined via video call because there’s an international arrest warrant against him.
BRICS countries criticized tariff policies.
At the summit, the BRICS nations didn’t directly attack the U.S., but they said rising tariffs are harming global trade and go against WTO rules. Brazil’s President Lula da Silva also slammed NATO’s decision to increase military spending, saying it’s always easier to invest in war than in peace.
The declaration states:
“We reaffirm our support for comprehensive reforms of the United Nations, including its Security Council, to make it more democratic, representative, effective, and efficient. We want to increase the representation of developing countries in the Council’s membership so it can better address current global challenges and support the legitimate aspirations of emerging and developing nations from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, including BRICS countries, to play a greater role in international affairs, especially in the United Nations and its Security Council. We recognize the legitimate aspirations of African countries, as reflected in the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration.”
The BRICS group strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam.
The BRICS declaration states: “We call for a firm ‘zero tolerance’ policy toward terrorism and reject any double standards in fighting it.” It further says: “We emphasize that countries have the primary responsibility to combat terrorism and must fully meet their obligations under international law to prevent and counter terrorist threats in global efforts.”
Know about BRICS
BRICS Establishment and Membership Timeline
Establishment: The BRICS group started as BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) in 2006 as a platform for major emerging economies to collaborate on economic and global issues. The first official summit took place in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia. South Africa joined in 2010, turning BRIC into BRICS.
Original Members (2006): Brazil, Russia, India, China
South Africa: Joined in 2010 and attended its first summit in 2011.
New Members (2024): Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates became full members on January 1, 2024.
Indonesia: Became a full member on January 6, 2025.
Saudi Arabia: Was invited to join in 2023 and planned to join in 2024, but as of April 2024, it is still considering membership and has not officially joined.
Key Points from PM Modi’s BRICS Summit Address
- Strength in Diversity
- PM Modi said that the unique perspectives of BRICS countries and their belief in a multipolar world are the group’s greatest strengths.
- Smart Investments by NDB
- He urged the New Development Bank (NDB) to fund only essential projects that bring long-term benefits and maintain the bank’s credibility.
- Shared Research Platform
- PM Modi proposed creating a BRICS research center where all member countries can collaborate on science and technology.
- Preventing Resource Misuse
- He emphasized that no country should have the right to use resources solely for its own benefit or as a weapon against others.
- Controlling Digital Content
- He suggested building a system to verify the authenticity of digital information, track its source, and prevent its misuse.
- AI Summit in India
- PM Modi announced that India will soon host a major conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) to discuss its challenges and positive uses.
Why is the BRICS Summit happening in Brazil special?
The BRICS Summit 2025, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, focused on the theme of cooperation among Global South countries for a fair global order.
For the first time, the meeting included all 10 member countries, along with 9 partner nations.
Brazil’s President Lula da Silva is working to present BRICS as an inclusive group, not as an opponent to Western countries. The goal is to discuss issues like inclusive growth, food security, and climate justice.
BRICS: A Concern for Western Nations
BRICS countries have long talked about building their own payment system, like SWIFT, but no clear agreement or progress has been made.
In 2023, Brazil’s President Lula da Silva, at a summit, pushed for a new trade currency for BRICS nations, asking why they depend on the US dollar.
The concept of a BRICS payment system or currency has always troubled Western countries, particularly the United States.
Last December, before his inauguration, US President Trump warned that BRICS countries pursuing this could face 100% tariffs, calling it a scheme to harm the US dollar.
India, however, has clarified its position. In December 2024, at a forum in Doha, Qatar, Jaishankar stated that India has no desire to weaken the US dollar.
Conclusion
The BRICS 2025 Summit in Rio de Janeiro highlights the bloc’s rising influence, with a bold agenda to strengthen the Global South and reform global governance, poised to shape economic, political, and social trends worldwide.
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