BRICS tightens alliance, defying Trump's claim group is 'dead'

The BRICS group of nations has coalesced into a tighter alliance in the face of Washington’s tariff threats, despite US President Donald Trump arguing earlier this year that “BRICS is dead.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva yesterday held a call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during which they vowed to “defend multilateralism” against Washington’s threats and agreed to increase bilateral trade.

Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin has held separate calls with his BRICS counterparts to brief them on his plans for Friday’s meeting with Trump in Alaska. The group has also expanded recently, adding more than a dozen nations in the last year. BRICS is “focused on people and development, not conflict,” Lula said.