Brazil has convened an emergency virtual summit of BRICS leaders on September 8 to coordinate a response to escalating US trade tariffs, as the world's largest emerging economies seek to defend multilateralism against what they view as increasingly hostile American trade policies.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will host the hastily arranged video conference bringing together leaders from the expanded 11-nation bloc, which now represents nearly half the world's population and a third of global GDP. The summit comes as several BRICS members grapple with punitive US tariffs of up to 50% on their exports.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will deliver what Beijing describes as an "important address" from the capital, whilst Vladimir Putin will participate via video link, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. India, notably, will be represented by External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar rather than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reflecting Delhi's delicate balancing act between its BRICS membership and strategic ties with Washington.

The subdued, virtual gathering marks an unusual departure from BRICS' typically media-friendly choreography. Brazilian officials have deliberately avoided preparing a joint communiqué, acknowledging the divergent positions member states hold in their bilateral negotiations with Washington. Brazil and India currently face the steepest tariffs at 50%, whilst China and South Africa confront 30% duties. Heavily sanctioned Russia, Iran and other members, meanwhile, are subject to the baseline 10% tariff.

"BRICS has challenged the hegemony of the United States, which is why Trump is waging a tariff war on its members," Brazilian lawmaker Reimont Otoni of Lula's Workers' Party told Russian state media, highlighting tensions that have escalated since US President Donald Trump took office in January.

The summit agenda extends beyond immediate tariff concerns to encompass broader reforms of global governance institutions. Leaders are expected to discuss strengthening the World Trade Organization, reforming the UN Security Council, and advancing peace proposals for conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. Brazil will also seek support for its Forever Tropical Forests Fund ahead of November's COP30 climate summit in the Amazon.

Celso Amorim, chief adviser to President Lula, struck a more conciliatory tone in recent comments, insisting BRICS "is not a platform to quarrel with anyone,” though he acknowledged that the bloc's rise has created "a new equilibrium" that "some people probably don't like," as quoted by the Global Times.

The emergency summit comes as emerging economies, under mounting pressure from the Trump administration, seek to navigate an increasingly fractured global trading system. With the US imposing differentiated tariff rates across BRICS members, the bloc faces the challenge of putting up a facade of unity as individual nations pursue separate talks with Washington.

Brazilian officials, mindful of their country's complex relationship with the US, have been careful to frame the summit as defending multilateralism rather than confronting America directly. "We want to keep good relations with the US," Amorim told the Global Times, whilst noting that "the world can no longer be governed by the G7."

The virtual format itself reflects the practical constraints facing the bloc. Putin remains subject to an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the kidnapping of children in Ukrainian regions under Russian occupation, limiting his travel options, and scheduling conflicts have prevented some leaders from committing to in-person meetings at short notice.

As emerging economies representing nearly half the world's population seek to defend multilateralism against what they perceive as US economic coercion, the summit will test whether BRICS can evolve from a talking shop into an effective counterweight to Western economic dominance, or whether the White House's tactical use of differentiated tariffs has successfully exposed the limits of Global South solidarity.