The theme of this year’s summit emphasised multilateralism and the upholding of international law, based on the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the UN Charter. It reaffirmed the central role of the UN in maintaining international peace and security, promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms and encouraging cooperation grounded in solidarity, mutual respect, justice and equality.
BRICS is increasingly positioning itself as an alliance of the historically oppressed. The list of members and partners continues to expand each year. In 2025, Colombia and Bolivia expressed interest in joining. Colombia pivoting away from longstanding American influence toward a more sovereign foreign policy in the past three years is particularly noteworthy. Current full members include Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Ethiopia, Indonesia and Iran. Partner countries include Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Uganda and Uzbekistan. Over 30 countries expressed interest in joining BRICS in 2024, either as full members or partners.
A relatively low-profile summit was expected this year, especially when compared with the 2024 Kazan Summit, partly because Brazil is also hosting COP30 and its attention appears divided. Nevertheless, BRICS 2025 generated more media attention than expected. Notably, US President Donald Trump has become increasingly vocal, recently threatening a 10% tariff on any country that joins BRICS or attempts to bypass the US dollar.
Bilateral trade in sovereign currencies, along with growing mistrust of US economic policies, especially Trump’s proposed 100% tariffs, have already begun shaking global markets. According to the US Dollar Index, the dollar fell approximately 8.8% from June 2024. In 2023, several UN investment banks raised concerns that the dollar could be dethroned as the world’s primary reserve currency, citing possible replacements such as the Chinese yuan, Japanese yen or a potential BRICS-issued shared currency.
The summit also addressed major geopolitical flashpoints. It strongly condemned US and Israeli bombardments on Iran in June and reaffirmed commitment to the two-state solution in Palestine. India’s participation in endorsing such resolutions highlights a strategic tightrope: while aligning with BRICS’ broader anti-imperialist stance, India’s longstanding ties with Israel and its own illegal occupation of Kashmir may draw future scrutiny within BRICS circles if consistency in international law is demanded.
The 2024 Kazan Summit had set a high benchmark, marked by Russia’s comprehensive efforts to institutionalise BRICS mechanisms. Initiatives included the BRICS Finance Track and Central Bank Working Group, Payments Cooperation Council, BRICS Rapid Information Security Channel, Anti-Corruption Working Group and the BRICS Space Council. Additionally, a BRICS Healthcare and Nuclear Medicine Working Group was launched. Brazil followed suit this year by initiating five new working groups on employment, SMEs, counterterrorism, disaster management and anti-monopoly/competition policy.
In this light, BRICS 2025 can be viewed as a step toward deeper cooperation among the Global South, aimed at inclusive and sustainable global governance. While the 2024 Kazan Summit was more focused on reinforcing multilateralism for equitable global development and security, the Rio Summit leaned more towards amplifying the Global South’s voice in the evolving world order.
Looking ahead to the 2026 BRICS Summit, which India will host, questions loom large. As a swing state straddling the Global North and South, India faces growing skepticism from within the alliance. Experts remain uncertain about India’s long-term commitment to BRICS’ transformative agenda. The 2026 summit will thus serve as a test case — whether India is genuinely aligned with BRICS’ vision of multilateralism, inclusive governance and South-South cooperation, or it prefers to maintain strategic ambiguity.