RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) \u2014 Brazil will play host to a summit of the BRICS bloc of developing economies Sunday and Monday during which pressing topics like Israel\u2019s attack on Iran, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and trade tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to be handled with caution. <\/p>\n
Analysts and diplomats said the lack of cohesion in an enlarged BRICS, which doubled in size last year, may affect its ability to become another pole in world affairs. They also see the summit\u2019s moderate agenda as an attempt by member countries to stay off Trump\u2019s radar.<\/p>\n
Brazilian President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva<\/a> will have some of his priorities, such as debates on artificial intelligence and climate change, front and center for the talks with key leaders not in attendance. <\/p>\n China\u2019s President Xi Jinping won\u2019t attend a BRICS summit for the first time since he became his country\u2019s leader in 2012. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who will make an appearance via videoconference, continues to mostly avoid traveling abroad<\/a> due to an international arrest warrant issued after Russia invaded Ukraine.<\/p>\n Debate over language on hot-button topics<\/p>\n The restraint expected in Rio de Janeiro marks a departure from last year\u2019s summit hosted by Russia<\/a> in Kazan, when the Kremlin sought to develop alternatives to U.S.-dominated payment systems which would allow it to dodge Western sanctions imposed after Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.<\/p>\n A source involved in the negotiations told journalists Friday that some members of the group want more aggressive language on the situation in Gaza and Israel\u2019s attack on Iran. The source spoke under the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the matter publicly. <\/p>\n \u201cBrazil wants to keep the summit as technical as possible,\u201d said Oliver Stuenkel, a professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation think tank and university. <\/p>\n Consequently, observers expect a vague final declaration<\/a> regarding Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.<\/p>\n As well as suiting Brazil, a watered-down and non-controversial statement may be made easier by the absences of Putin and Xi, Stuenkel said. Those two countries have pushed for a stronger anti-Western stance, as opposed to Brazil and India that prefer non-alignment.<\/p>\n A Brazilian government official told The Associated Press Thursday that the group is expected to produce three joint statements and a final declaration, \u201call of which less bounded by current geopolitical tensions.\u201d The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the summit\u2019s preparations.<\/p>\n Jo\u00e3o Alfredo Nyegray, an international business and geopolitics professor at the Pontifical Catholic University in Parana, said the summit could have played a role in showing an alternative to an unstable world, but won\u2019t do so.<\/p>\n \u201cThe withdrawal of Egypt\u2019s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and the uncertainty about the level of representation for countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are confirming the difficulty for the BRICS to establish themselves as a cohesive pole of global leadership,\u201d Nyegray said. \u201cThis moment demands high level articulation, but we are actually seeing dispersion.\u201d<\/p>\n Brazil skittish in light of Trump tariffs<\/p>\n Brazil, the country that chairs the bloc, has picked six strategic priorities for the summit: global cooperation in healthcare; trade, investment and finance; climate change; governance for artificial intelligence; peace-making and security; and institutional development.<\/p>\n It has decided to focus on less controversial issues, such as promoting trade relations between members and global health, after Trump returned to the White House, said Ana Garcia, a professor at the Rio de Janeiro Federal Rural University. <\/p>\n \u201cBrazil wants the least amount of damage possible and to avoid drawing the attention of the Trump administration to prevent any type of risk to the Brazilian economy,\u201d Garcia said. <\/p>\n While Brazil will continue to advocate for the reform of Western-led global institutions, a cornerstone policy of the group, the country wants to avoid becoming the target of tariffs \u2014 a predicament it has so far largely escaped. <\/p>\n Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs against the bloc<\/a> if they take any moves to undermine the dollar. <\/p>\n Other leaders shun the summit<\/p>\n Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Egypt\u2019s Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will also be absent. Those two countries joined the BRICS in 2024, alongside Ethiopia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been invited and is participating in member discussions, but it has yet to send its confirmation letter.<\/p>\n As well as new members, the bloc has 10 strategic partner countries, a category created at last year\u2019s summit that includes Belarus, Cuba and Vietnam. <\/p>\n That rapid expansion led Brazil to put housekeeping issues \u2014 officially termed institutional development \u2014 on the agenda to better integrate new members and boost internal cohesion.<\/p>\n Despite notable absences, the summit is important for attendees, especially in the context of instability provoked by Trump\u2019s tariff wars, said Bruce Scheidl, a researcher at the University of Sao Paulo\u2019s BRICS study group.<\/p>\n \u201cThe summit offers the best opportunity for emerging countries to respond, in the sense of seeking alternatives and diversifying their economic partnerships,\u201d Scheidl said.<\/p>\n For Lula, the summit will be a welcome pause from a difficult domestic scenario, marked by a drop in popularity<\/a> and conflict with Congress<\/a>.<\/p>\n