The summit of the Brics in Rio could turn to disillusionment

While the global geopolitical balance is weakening, Rio welcomes a summit of the BRICS on July 6 and 7, 2025. Designed as a counterweight to the G7, the block struggles to embody the unity of the global south. Internal disagreements, absence of Xi Jinping, offensive return of Donald Trump: the 17th^th Edition illustrates less a rise in power than a questioning of the strategic coherence of the members. At the time of multipolar ambitions, the BRICS are exposed to a legitimacy crisis as much as a test of international credibility.

A top of tension: internal divisions and cracked unit symbols

One of the most striking facts of this year's BRICS summit is the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, replaced for the first time by his Prime Minister Li Qiang. A symbolically heavy absence in an already delicate context, while the group seeks to strengthen its influence in the face of Donald Trump's resurgence on the international scene.

On the Russian side, President Vladimir Putin will also not attend the face -to -face discussions, contenting himself with an appearance in videoconference. It is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, who will ensure the representation on the spot.

These notable absences weigh heavily on the dynamics of the summit, which aims to project the image of a united front of emerging economies against Western leadership embodied by the United States.

Several signs show that the BRICS block are going through a phase of strategic disparaging. Some recent episodes have clearly informed about internal group tensions ::

• Last April, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Alliance failed to agree on a common press release, mainly because of divergences on the formulation of support for permanent seats on the UN Security Council for Brazil, India and South Africa;

• In contrast, a few weeks later, the same countries signed a joint declaration denouncing the American and Israeli strikes on Iran, qualified by the BRICS as “Violations of international law”which has shown a capacity for punctual coordination, but limited to certain subjects;

• The lack of clear communication on the group's long -term economic objectives of the group feeds skepticism about its real cohesion.

These elements weaken the credibility of the BRICS block, especially in the face of the great Western powers. The lack of strategic alignment between China, India and Brazil with key issues such as the reform of international institutions calls into question their ability to offer a credible alternative to the existing global governance model. The summit of Rio, supposed to mark a step of consolidation, thus risks strengthening the image of a fragmented block, more reactive than visionary.

Political unity which is not found compromising the monetary ambitions of the BRICS

If the Rio summit reveals the diplomatic fractures of the group, it also lights up on another site at a stop: that of a new monetary architecture. One of the most anticipated projects, a possible common currency or a cross -border regulation system independent of the dollar, seems to be in neutral today.

The joint absence of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, two of the main architects of this alternative financial vision, considerably reduces the prospects for ambitious announcements. No concrete project has been advanced at this stage of the summit.

Unlike expectations made upstream by certain observers, no official declaration has mentioned calendar, model or coalition around a crypto of the BRICS or a decentralized monetary system.

The choice not to include these subjects in the main agenda of the summit, combined with the absence of proactive leadership on this file, suggests that internal disagreements slow down any significant advance. This silence contrasts with the positions displayed in the past by certain leaders, notably Russia and China, who had argued for a “Independent payment system” Capable of reducing dependence on the dollar and Swift networks.

This inertia has deep consequences. For players in the crypto ecosystem, especially in the countries of the Global South, an initiative of the BRICS around an investment platform and a blockchain -based payment system could have been a major alternative to Western monetary infrastructure. As it stands, the absence of a common vision compromises this ambition. Worse still, it sends a message of disorganization which could delay, even dissuade, any attempt at future monetary coordination. The Summit of Rio, instead of embodying the long -awaited strategic turn, could ultimately symbolize the breathlessness of a multilateral monetary reform project carried by emerging economies.