Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wants BRICS nations to unite against rising U.S. tariffs. In an interview on Wednesday, he said he would speak with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping to build a joint response to U.S. trade actions under Donald Trump.

Lula Criticizes Trump’s Approach

Lula said Trump is trying to weaken global cooperation. “What President Trump is doing is tacit — he wants to dismantle multilateralism, where agreements are made collectively within institutions, and replace it with unilateralism, where he negotiates one-on-one with other countries,” he said.

He warned that smaller nations cannot fight back alone. “What bargaining power does a small Latin American country have against the United States? None,” he added.

BRICS Nations to Discuss a Joint Plan

Lula wants BRICS to hold serious talks about how to respond. BRICS is a group of major developing countries, including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and others.

“I’m going to try to discuss with them about how each one is doing in this situation, what the implications are for each country, so we can make a decision,” he said.

Lula said he would first call Modi on Thursday, followed by Xi Jinping and other BRICS leaders. He reminded that “It’s important to remember that the BRICS have ten countries at the G20,” referring to the world’s 20 biggest economies.

Brazil’s BRICS Presidency

Brazil currently leads the BRICS group. Lula said he would use this opportunity to ask members why Trump is targeting multilateralism and what his true intentions might be.

Trump’s Tariff Threats Spark Global Concern

Last month, while BRICS leaders met in Rio de Janeiro, Trump criticized the group. He called BRICS “anti-American” and said he might impose an extra 10% tariff on imports from its member countries.

Brazil has taken a big hit. It now tops the list of countries facing Trump’s steepest tariffs. Trump recently placed 50% tariffs on most Brazilian exports, blaming the move on what he described as a “witch hunt” against former President Jair Bolsonaro.

India and China are also in Trump’s sights. On Wednesday, he threatened to impose a new 25% tariff on Indian goods. He pointed to India’s ongoing oil trade with Russia as the reason. India already faces 25% tariffs under previous decisions.

China and South Africa haven’t been spared either. Both face 30% tariffs on their goods. Some Chinese products also carry additional duties.