BRICS Summit Dances Around Washington Like It’s a Hot Potato 🥔🔥

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In a dazzling display of diplomatic tap-dancing, representatives from the BRICS countries conspicuously avoided blaming Washington for the tangled mess of tariff wars and global economic jitters. Instead, they all agreed multilateralism is “very nice, thank you,” and should definitely be upheld.

BRICS Virtual Summit: The Art of Not Pointing Fingers (Especially at Washington)

The very serious and totally not awkward BRICS virtual summit convened yesterday, summoned by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva – a man whose name alone is a samba beat for global diplomacy. The summit extolled the virtues of multilateralism, which is just a fancy way of saying “Let’s all pretend we’re playing nice,” but conspicuously skipped the part where Washington is the puppeteer pulling tariff strings.

Gathered on this pixelated stage were Lula, Putin, Xi, Ramaphosa, and friends – a veritable Avengers team of world leaders who, despite a rather obvious nose-in-the-air avoidance, elected not to call out the U.S. as the wizard behind the curtain orchestrating this trade tempest.

But don’t worry, they threw a few indirect jabs – diplomatic poke and prod, if you will – addressing Washington’s aggressive tariff tantrums. China’s President Xi Jinping, in a tone as subtle as a foghorn on a mountaintop, declared that hegemonism, unilateralism, and protectionism were running amok like a toddler in a china shop. He even declared it for all the world to hear:

“Trade wars and tariff wars waged by some country severely disrupt the world economy and undermine international trade rules.”

Lula, ever the eloquent diplomat, refrained from mentioning the U.S. directly (because that would be so passé), but he did get philosophical about the weaponization of tariffs. “Tariff blackmail is being normalized as a tool for conquering markets and interfering in domestic issues,” he mused, while tipping his hat to BRICS countries who have been cheesed off victims of arguably ‘unjustified’ and ‘illegal’ trade shenanigans.

Meanwhile, India’s President Narendra Modi, who generously sent his regards without actually showing up, sagely warned that “increasing barriers and complicating transactions will not help.” He also advised against mixing trade affairs with “non-trade matters,” because apparently, that’s like adding pineapple to pizza – guaranteed to spark controversy but best avoided at international dinners.

This diplomatic tightrope walk shines a light on the delicate discomfort of Brazil and India, both currently slapped with 50% tariffs on their exports thanks to Mr. Trump’s merciless tariff fiesta.

Speaking of Mr. Trump – the man known for turning Twitter into an economic battleground – he’s been very clear about his anti-BRICS playlist, threatening a tariff crescendo of up to 150% to punish the bloc for their alleged role in “the destruction of the dollar.” Because nothing says monetary policy like a threatening tweet and a punitive tax.

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2025-09-09 12:40