What's behind Trump's Brics wrath and will India-US trade talks be affected?
Donald Trump 's threat to slap an additional 10 per cent tariff on
Brics nations may be more of a strategic warning rather than a prelude to action – and is not expected to disrupt
India 's efforts to
finalise a trade pact with Washington, according to analysts.
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In a speech on Tuesday, Trump accused the 10-member bloc – comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, alongside newer entrants such as Iran, Egypt and Indonesia – of undermining the United States and seeking to weaken the dollar's global reserve currency status.
Losing that status, he said, would be like 'losing a war, a major world war'.
Trump's remarks sparked uncertainty over the fate of trade talks with India, though Washington signalled goodwill by excluding New Delhi from a list of 14 countries hit with new tariffs – a list that included close allies such as Japan and South Korea.
01:47
Brics leaders condemn strikes on Iran and tariffs but avoid direct mention of US, Israel
Brics leaders condemn strikes on Iran and tariffs but avoid direct mention of US, Israel
The US had first imposed tariffs on April 2 but paused their full implementation for 90 days. That pause was recently extended to August 1, with Trump framing it as a final deadline for countries to reach bilateral agreements.
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