Foreign ministers from an expanded Brics group of countries originally anchored by Brazil, Russia, India and China vowed to bolster multilateralism and promote peace amid intensifying global conflicts and mounting economic turbulence driven by US trade policies. Opening the meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Monday, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said the bloc must serve as a “force for good” in an increasingly fragmented world. “The path to peace is neither easy nor linear,” Vieira said. “Brics must lead by example, reaffirming our belief in a multipolar world where security is a right for all, not a privilege for a few.” Vieira highlighted the group’s expanded role following its recent enlargement to 11 full members, representing nearly half of the world’s population and about 40 per cent of global GDP. “With a diversity of geography and culture, Brics is uniquely positioned to foster dialogue, development and stability,” he said. The summit took place amid aggressive trade measures spearheaded by US President Donald Trump and against the backdrop of eroding trust in international institutions and widening armed conflicts. Brics ministers were negotiating a joint statement expected to criticise “unilateral measures” on trade and reaffirm the centrality of multilateral negotiations, a long-standing position for the bloc of leading emerging markets. Although China reportedly pressed for stronger language in response to US tariffs – recently amounting to a 145 per cent levy on Chinese goods – a source told the Post the final communique would criticise the move yet “avoid a confrontational tone”. Meanwhile, Brazilian officials were expected to shelve plans for a single currency, focusing instead on promoting trade in local currencies to lessen dependence on the US dollar, according to Reuters. Ahead of the summit, the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs described Brics as an emerging “backbone” of cooperation for the Global South. In Beijing on Wednesday, MFA spokesperson Guo Jiakun said China would work with Brics members to build a “more comprehensive” partnership as well as promote multilateralism and support “justice and fairness” in the global order. “The Brics cooperation mechanism came into being amid the collective rise of the Global South, which meets the expectation of the international community to safeguard world peace, promote common development and improve global governance,” Guo said. During Monday’s meeting, Vieira condemned violence in Gaza, describing Israeli military operations as “devastating” and calling for the full withdrawal of Israeli forces, the release of hostages and unimpeded humanitarian access. On Ukraine, Brazil’s top diplomat urged “a diplomatic solution based on the principles of the UN Charter” but avoided direct references to Russia’s role in the three-year war. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, met on the summit’s sidelines, pledging to strengthen cooperation through Brics to accelerate a reshaping of the global order. Wang hailed the Brics members’ “unity and cooperation” and said the group would contribute to the building of “a more just and rational global governance system”. Lavrov echoed the sentiment, saying China, Russia, other Brics members and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation “are active participants in this transformation and stand at the forefront of the movement for justice and equality”. Their meeting came as Trump’s push for a peace deal to end the Ukraine war has faced growing hurdles. Despite earlier optimism on the campaign trail, Trump’s negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin have proceeded more slowly than expected, with Moscow launching a strike on Kyiv last week despite talks continuing. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump hinted at his frustration with Putin’s actions, writing that the Russian leader may need to “be dealt with differently”. Separately, climate finance featured as a focal point of Monday’s talks. Brazil insisted that wealthier nations uphold their responsibility to fund climate adaptation and mitigation efforts as it rejected attempts to shift financial obligations onto developing countries. The day began with the arrival of the officials at Itamaraty Palace, the historic headquarters of Brazil’s ministry of foreign affairs in Rio. While Russia and China sent their top diplomats, one absence stood out: India’s External Affairs Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, was a no-show at the meeting. His absence came as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government weighed its response to a deadly gun attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed more than 25 people on April 22. India has blamed Pakistan for the incident and vowed a “befitting reply”. In Jaishankar’s place, New Delhi was represented by its Brics sherpa, Dammu Ravi. China, Pakistan’s close ally and a founding Brics member, has called for an impartial investigation and urged the South Asian countries to de-escalate. Pakistan already controls a portion of Kashmir and claims territorial rights over the part administered by India, a long-standing flashpoint between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Farwa Aamer of the Asia Society, a US-based non-profit group, suggested Jaishankar’s absence from the Brics meeting may have been both practical and strategic. While staying on the ground after the Kashmir attack was likely a factor, Aamer said, “some part of it could be to convey the severity of the matter from India’s perspective to other Brics members and the international community – particularly China, which recently expressed support for Pakistan”. Tensions between India and China have long complicated Brics dynamics, she added, with concerns that bilateral issues could spill over into the bloc’s agenda. “The intragroup dynamics have previously shown differences in key opinions or hard stances, whether on [the] Ukraine conflict or relations with the West, and we may see more of that with expanded membership and new global and regional challenges.” Still, Aamer said there was “an interest in aligning the group as much as possible” and that much would hinge on the 17th Brics leadership summit in Rio in July. “India’s subdued participation already shows how Kashmir is a top priority,” she added, noting that despite trade dominating this week’s talks the Kashmir issue “has already become a feature” and could surface formally or on the sidelines. However, according to Sarang Shidore of the Quincy Institute, a US-based think tank, Jaishankar’s absence should not be read as a signal to Brics but rather a reflection of the “serious crisis” unfolding at home. Brics is fundamentally an economic and governance-oriented group, not a security alliance, he said, and its members have historically avoided bringing bilateral disputes into its agenda. “My sense is that India and China will keep their differences over Pakistan separate from discussions that focus on global cooperation in areas like economics, finance and governance,” Shidore said. The Brics ministers are set to continue bilateral consultations through Tuesday, with the outcomes expected to shape discussions in July.