BRICS: The Future Trump Can’t Ignore

“There is no doubt that BRICS is the future, and it is more reflected when President Donald Trump is saying that BRICS countries will have a 10% tariff,” Samir Bhattacharya, an associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, India, told Sputnik Africa.

🌎 BRICS is no longer just a reaction to Western economic dominance – it’s a multipolar force shaping gender equality, climate change, counter-terrorism, and global development banks, he explained.

📈 As African nations line up to join, the bloc’s growing influence is undeniable.

Trump’s tariffs only prove how unstoppable BRICS has become.

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The BRICS Policy Centre has released the Guide to Understanding BRICS, offering insights into the group's key characteristics and operations.

The guide covers these fundamental aspects:

⚪What is BRICS?
⚪Formation and Expansion: From BRIC to BRICS+
⚪What Unites BRICS?
⚪BRICS: How does it work?
⚪What is BRICS's role in Brazil?
⚪Intra-BRICS Relations
⚪New Development Bank
⚪BRICS global governance
⚪Civil society engagement in BRICS
⚪Towards the 2025 Summit: "Strengthening Global South Cooperation for More Inclusive and Sustainable Governance"

📎 View the publication

#ANALYTICS

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Arctic Laboratory of BRICS Youth Projects

From July 28 to August 1, 2025, the northern Russian city of Arkhangelsk will host the BRICS Project Lab Arctic — an international workshop for young innovators from the BRICS nations.

Organised by MGIMO University's Scientific Student Society, this event forms part of the Youth Track at the III Arctic – Regions Forum, led by the Government of the Arkhangelsk Region.

Participants will collaborate to develop projects focused on Arctic development and strengthening BRICS cooperation in the region. Working in teams, they will devise concrete solutions for first-priority Arctic challenges and present their proposals to experts from partner organisations.

📎 Learn more about the event (in Russian)

@bricsprojectlab

#ANNOUNCEMENT #Arctic #youth

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BRICS aims to take lead in creating institutions in emerging fields

The BRICS nations plan to establish international institutions in emerging domains like artificial intelligence and climate finance. This vision was articulated by Igor Makarov, Head of School of World Economy and the Laboratory for Economics of Climate Change at HSE University, and an expert at the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, during a TASS roundtable analysing outcomes of the Rio de Janeiro Summit.

Makarov observed that at the XVII BRICS Summit, the group was able to identify several critical areas for intensified cooperation and institutional leadership.

"First and foremost, this involves climate finance, for which a dedicated framework programme has already been developed and released. The second priority area is artificial intelligence," Makarov stated.

The expert highlighted the current vacuum in global AI governance structures.

"The BRICS countries find themselves at varying stages of AI development with divergent interests in this sphere," Makarov explained.

Nevertheless, the expert highlighted the group's effort to establish foundational principles in this vital area:

"While these framework principles remain broad, they represent the first document of its kind, where nations of this scale collectively articulate their approach to artificial intelligence and attempt to define core implementation standards respecting both equality principles and national characteristics," Makarov concluded.

#NEWS #AI #summit #climate

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BRICS at Inostranka: A new educational project on BRICS launched in Moscow

What challenges are African nations facing today? Why is India striving to reclaim its historical name "Bharat"? What lies behind the enigma of Chinese thought? How is Indonesia emerging as a new power hub in Southeast Asia? And what connects all these things to BRICS?

The BRICS Expert Council-Russia, based at HSE University, along with the BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre—a collaborative effort between TV BRICS and the Library for Foreign Literature—present BRICS at Inostranka, a new educational project featuring a series of lectures, discussions, and workshops focused on the BRICS nations.

Participants will gain unique perspectives from prominent researchers, seasoned practitioners, industry experts, and specialists with deep BRICS expertise.

This series will serve as a platform for open dialogue about the current realities of the BRICS nations. Together with experts, we will delve into discussions on culture, history, foreign policy, and the role these countries play in today's world. Participants will gain insights into how the BRICS nations collaborate, the challenges they face in fostering cooperation, and what drives them to unite for a shared future. The inaugural events will take place during the 4th Annual African Cultures Festival, organised by the Frankoteque Cultural Centre.

Stay tuned for announcements and join us at the Library for Foreign Literature—for what promises to be a truly enlightening, timely, and vibrant exploration of BRICS!

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@generationbrics
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@mediacenter_brics

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Book Presentation: "Africa 2025: Prospects and Challenges" at Inostranka

Join us for a presentation of the book "Africa 2025: Prospects and Challenges" hosted by the BRICS Expert Council-Russia in collaboration with the BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre. This insightful analytical collection delves into the pivotal trends shaping the development of the African continent.

The publication offers a comprehensive examination of challenges and opportunities facing Africa in the near future.

Key topics include:

✔Food security and food sovereignty in Africa
✔Digital transformation
✔The role of education in cultivating African leaders
✔African business: new regional and global players

Andrey Maslov, Director of the Centre for African Studies at HSE University, will present the book. He leads a dedicated team of experts who contributed to this work.

The event is part of the Annual African Cultures Festival and will take place in the BRICS+ Information and Cultural Media Centre at the Library for Foreign Literature.

📎 More information on the website

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@generationbrics
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#ANNOUNCEMENT

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BRICS: Empowering Indigenous Knowledge and Africa’s Agenda

“The Russians wanted to promote this non-Western civilization by sharing knowledge… They want to promote the indigenous knowledge, the indigenous environment, the indigenous societies, our fellow civilizations to be safe,” said Yitena Gebre Mamo, Multilateral Affairs Research Director General, Institute of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

🌎 BRICS attracts countries due to:
▶️Massive economic weight, high GDP, and large population sizes.
▶️Geopolitical influence counterbalancing Western domination.
▶️Acting as the voice of the Global South for sustainable development.

🌎 BRICS is:
▶️A platform reaffirming multilateralism beyond UN structures.
▶️Focused on Africa’s untapped resources and productive networks.
▶️Promoting cross-border digital payment mechanisms to boost trade.

🌎 The bloc supports:
▶️Indigenous knowledge systems suppressed by neoliberal philosophy.
▶️Reduced reliance on Western-dominated financial systems (IMF, World Bank) by promoting local currencies and reducing loan conditionalities.

“The African agenda and the agenda of the BRICS are almost similar… BRICS is also promoting the African agenda, African problem, African solution for African problem,” he told Sputnik Africa, commenting on the recent BRICS Summit in Brazil.

🇺🇸 As US sanctions rise:
▶️BRICS accelerates alliance formation, financial infrastructure, and South-South trade cooperation.
▶️Ethiopia leverages BRICS to diversify from traditional Western sources towards Eastern investment and trade opportunities.

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Trump gets ready to challenge BRICS but meets economic reality

On July 6–7, Brazil hosted the BRICS Summit amid escalating international tensions. This event marked a significant milestone in intra-BRICS collaboration and highlighted the ongoing economic rivalry between the United States and BRICS nations.

During the Summit, Russian leader Vladimir Putin delivered a noteworthy update via videoconference: the combined GDP of the BRICS member states has now surpassed that of the G7.

This announcement came as Donald Trump vowed on social media to impose 10% tariffs on nations supporting BRICS' "anti-American" policies. However, these proposed measures seem relatively tame, especially considering he had previously floated the idea of tariffs as high as 60–70%.

Putin’s timing in revealing these figures serves a clear strategic purpose: to showcase the growing collective strength and influence of BRICS on the global stage. Where critics once dismissed the group as merely populous, it now stands as an undeniable economic counterweight to Western dominance.

Looking ahead, the dynamic between BRICS and the G7 promises growing complexity. As the group's economic influence expands, its impact on global markets will deepen substantially. The critical question remains: Will Trump's threatened measures intimidate BRICS members or instead galvanise their unity against external pressure? The answer may well define the next era of international relations.

#OPINION #USA #G7 #summit

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Russian architects explore BRICS professional union

The Union of Architects of Russia is developing plans to create a Union of BRICS Architects, President Nikolay Shumakov announced.

"International cooperation is progressing well. A BRICS Architects Union may be established this year— we're negotiating this possibility. We remain optimistic and are working actively toward this goal."

The Union President detailed recent collaborations with Chinese architects:

"We organised a large-scale Russian architecture exhibition a year and a half ago, featuring our members' projects alongside workshops with leading practitioners. Together with Chinese partners, we conducted a major young architects' competition involving about 1,500 Russian and Chinese participants," he added.

#NEWS #culture

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BRICS Summit: New frontiers in global health cooperation

Natalia Bondarenko, Co-Chair of the Public Health and Well-Being Working Group under the BRICS Civil Forum, Deputy Chair for Healthcare and Social Sphere at the Union of Women of Russia, Chief External Expert for Therapy and General Practice at the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia, Chief Medical Officer at Clinical Hospital No. 85 of the FMBA of Russia, Candidate of Sciences in Medicine (PhD), shared her insights on public health cooperation following the BRICS Summit in Brazil:

"The recent BRICS Summit and Civil Council meetings achieved significant breakthroughs in international medical collaboration. Special attention was paid to the XV BRICS Health Ministers' meeting in Brasília on June 17, 2025, where participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the resilience of healthcare systems and promoting cooperation," Bondarenko noted.

She highlighted several key outcomes:

"A crucial advancement was the official recognition of the BRICS Network of Public Health Institutes as the primary platform for cross-national health dialogue. This network will be instrumental in achieving universal health coverage and ensuring equitable access to essential medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and health services. Participants also agreed on the necessity to harmonise legal frameworks governing these areas," she explained.

Bondarenko also highlighted that special attention was given to the role of primary healthcare as the cornerstone of health systems, along with the critical importance of prevention and emergency response.

"The participants pledged to continue substantive dialogue within civil track that will both strengthen existing cooperation models and pioneer innovative solutions to pressing global challenges related to health and well-being," she concluded.

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#OPINION #EXPERT

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BRICS Lex Model

The BRICS Lex Model conference is set to take place in Moscow at HSE University, as part of the Consortium of BRICS Law Schools. The model will be dedicated to investment cooperation and will simulate a diplomatic conference on the adoption of a new investment treaty.

Teams from universities across BRICS+ countries are invited to participate. Each team may include 2–4 bachelor’s and master’s law students, who will be guided by a coach throughout the conference.

⏰Conference dates: December 1–5, 2025
🔥Application deadline: September 5, 2025

📎For further details, please visit the BRICS Lex Model website

#ANNOUNCEMENT

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Impact of intra-BRICS trade on the share of US dollar in international reserve composition

The latest issue of the BRICS Journal of Economics features a study focused on the analysis of trade among the BRICS nations.

The article examines the impact of the BRICS countries’ trade on the composition of their US dollar reserves using dynamic panel data analysis. The research aims to determine if the trade between the BRICS countries promotes currency diversification or reinforces their reliance on the dollar.

📎 Read the article

@BRICSJournal

#ANALYTICS

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Senator Klimov: BRICS won't turn into the EU or NATO

BRICS is not going to turn into the EU or NATO, the bloc's task is to ensure security and create conditions for the development of member states, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs Andrei Klimov said.

The senator emphasised that #BRICS is a solid club of sovereign powers. He also recalled the main tasks of the bloc.

"The task of BRICS is not to turn into some kind of EU, as some people think, or even more so into some kind of NATO. Where the interests of sovereign powers coincide, we find a solution, and where they do not coincide, we try not to interfere with each other," the senator said.

Recently, US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of import duties of 10 per cent for BRICS members because they "want to hurt" the dollar.

#NEWS #sanctions

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BRICS+ Fashion Summit will be held in Moscow

The third international forum BRICS+ Fashion Summit will be held in the Zaryadye concert hall from 28 to 30 August in Moscow. The key topic of the forum will be the creation of a decentralised and competitive ecosystem that will facilitate the emergence of fresh concepts and fashion trends. Industry leaders from BRICS, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Latin and North America, Oceania, CIS and other countries are expected.

Earlier Deputy Mayor of the capital Natalia Sergunina said that the brands participating in the fashion week will be determined by the jury, among the selection criteria—originality of the idea, concept, commercial potential and the possibility of mass production. Over the first four seasons, the event attracted more than 800 designers.

#NEWS #EVENT #culture

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🕊 RT spoke with Victoria Panova, Head of the BRICS Expert Council-Russia, Co-Chair of the Russian Chapter of Civil BRICS Council, Russia's W20 Sherpa, and Vice Rector at HSE University. She highlighted the Civil BRICS Council’s role in bridging governments and civil society, emphasised BRICS as a unique, respectful global coalition focused on reforming the world order, and noted its achievements like the New Development Bank and fostering dialogue between countries with conflicts.

📎 Link to the interview

#EXPERT #OPINION #BRICSExpertCouncil #BRICSExpertCouncilRussia

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