Trump to Unveil Agreements and Taxes on Imports - Trump to unveil trade agreements and impose tariffs
## Brics Countries Face Potential Tariffs as Trade Tensions Escalate
In a move that could further escalate global trade tensions, President Donald Trump has threatened to impose additional tariffs on Brics countries, a group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, among others. The announcement was made on his online platform, Truth Social.
The Brics countries criticized increased unilateral tariffs in trade policy during a meeting in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. This comes after Trump suspended tariffs against the European Union for a three-month negotiation period, which ends on Wednesday.
If the Brics countries join an anti-American policy, Trump has threatened them with an additional tariff of 10%. However, no specific details about new tariffs or potential trade agreements with Brics countries by Wednesday have been announced.
The U.S. Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, announced the potential tariffs jointly with the U.S. news outlet Fox News. It remains unclear whether EU countries will also receive similar letters. The dispatch of letters will begin at 12:00 PM (local time), according to Trump.
China, a member of the Brics group, has criticized Trump's use of tariffs as a tool of pressure, emphasizing that the Brics group is oriented towards cooperation, not confrontation. Arbitrarily imposing tariffs serves neither side's interests, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning in Beijing.
Trump had earlier threatened Brics countries with 100% tariffs if they turned away from the U.S. dollar as an international means of payment. The new tariffs, if implemented, will take effect on August 1.
The U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, expects many deals to follow from the letters. He mentioned around 100 letters to small countries with which the U.S. does not have much trade. These countries will be informed that if no agreement is reached, they will revert to the tariff levels of April 2.
Trump stated that some deals have already been concluded, but no specific details about these deals have been provided. The Brics acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates joining in early 2024.
In April, Trump introduced a base tariff of 10 percent on almost all EU imports. The tariff rates for other countries vary, with Vietnam's reciprocal tariff rate set at 20%, down from the initial 46% imposed earlier. For instance, China has a different timeline due to a 90-day pause announced on May 14, 2025, and has agreed to a framework for a trade deal.
The U.S. has been negotiating with various countries, but few significant deals have been announced as of July 2025. The European Union is reportedly making progress in trade talks. It is a developing story, and more details are expected in the coming days.
The Commission, with a focus on policy-and-legislation and general-news, is proposing to extend the period of validity of the agreement to cover the period from 1 January to 31 December, as trade tensions between the Brics countries and the United States continue to escalate due to potential tariff impositions. The politics surrounding these trade disagreements have led China, a member of the Brics group, to criticize Trump's use of tariffs as a tool of pressure, emphasizing the Brics group's orientation towards cooperation rather than confrontation.
