At the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the gathering remotely, emphasizing BRICS' growing global influence across Eurasia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. He noted that the bloc now represents nearly half of the world’s population and 40% of the global economy, surpassing the G7 in terms of purchasing power parity. Putin's remarks also touched on rising trade tensions, as he raised concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump