US President Donald Trump sharply criticized this year’s BRICS summit in Rio, remarking that “hardly anyone important showed up.”
Official information confirms that, apart from India’s Prime Minister, none of the bloc’s most influential leaders—such as China’s President Xi Jinping or Russia’s President Vladimir Putin—attended in person.
Putin only joined by video, and China’s delegation missed Xi completely, sending lesser officials instead.
Brazil, the host nation, saw President Lula da Silva lead discussions, but attention centered on the absence of heads of state from the two largest BRICS economies: China and Russia.
Other countries—Indonesia, Ethiopia, South Africa—did send their leaders, but the missing top names dominated international headlines and fueled skepticism about BRICS’s current influence.
BRICS, now covering ten major countries, still represents more than 46% of global GDP and over half the world’s population.
Trump Calls BRICS a “Fading Group,” Claims Rio Meeting Was Barely Attended
Yet the empty chairs at Rio—and the failure to move forward on concrete economic reforms—raised doubts about the group’s unity and global ambitions.
Repeating his threat, Trump said any BRICS country pushing to reduce use of the US dollar or adopting “anti-American” policies might face a 10% tariff on exports to America.
This move he justifies as protecting US interests from what he calls attempts by rivals to undermine the dollar’s role in global trade.
BRICS Summit in Rio: Few Leaders, Vague Statements, No Major Moves
BRICS officials dismissed Trump’s comments in formal statements, insisting that their growing roster makes the bloc an enduring economic force.
Analysts note, however, that without solid participation from its biggest members, BRICS risks looking fragmented.
In practical terms, this episode signals more uncertainty for global markets.
New US tariffs could make exporting harder for BRICS economies, just as doubts grow about the group’s ability to present a unified front.
📌 Read our complete guide: BRICS in 2026: Complete Guide to the 11-Nation Bloc Reshaping Global Trade