The first day of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro highlighted the group’s growing size but also exposed its current weaknesses.

Although the bloc now includes eleven major economies—covering over half the world’s population and nearly half of global economic output—only a few of its top leaders showed up in person.

Russian President Vladimir Putin joined by video, Chinese President Xi Jinping sent his prime minister, and Iran’s president was absent, leaving the foreign minister to represent the country.

This lack of high-level presence raised doubts about the group’s unity and ability to act decisively. The official statements from the summit were broad and cautious.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva criticized NATO’s increased defense spending and warned that higher military budgets could harm global development.

BRICS Summit in Rio: Few Leaders, Vague Statements, No Major Moves. (Photo Internet reproduction)

The group condemned recent attacks on Iranian territory and expressed concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. However, these comments remained general and diplomatic, without concrete proposals or new joint actions.

BRICS leaders also voiced worries about rising tariffs and trade barriers, saying these trends threaten global jobs and growth. Yet, they offered no new strategies or agreements to address these issues.

On the war in Ukraine, the group avoided direct criticism of Russia and called only for diplomatic solutions. Despite talk of expanding cooperation and reducing reliance on Western systems, the summit produced no major decisions or breakthroughs.

The absence of several top leaders and the lack of specific commitments suggested that, for now, BRICS remains a forum for discussion rather than decisive action.

The Rio meeting showed that while the group wants a bigger global role, it still struggles to speak and act as one.