At their summit in Rio de Janeiro, BRICS leaders issued a sharp rebuke of rising global tariffs and recent military actions in the Middle East, while the absence of key figures such as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin underscored concerns over the bloc’s internal cohesion. Although a broad range of political, economic, and security issues were discussed, the summit was defined by its guarded rhetoric toward the United States and a careful avoidance of direct