- White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addresses U.S. partners’ interest in BRICS, emphasizing non-interference and promoting governance and economic models benefits.
- BRICS summit invites 69 countries and excludes Western nations. Macron’s controversial interests were resisted.
During a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was questioned about U.S. partners expressing interest in joining the BRICS economic bloc, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
The question posed to her was about Algeria and Egypt, both partners of the U.S., applying for BRICS membership, which signifies a stance against Western dominance and alignment with a more independent force. The questioner sought to know how the U.S. views this development and whether they welcome it. In response, Jean-Pierre stated:
We lead in our engagement with an affirmative agenda focused on demonstrating the benefits of our governance and economic models. [..] U.S. policy does not ask our partners to choose between the United States and other countries. We have repeatedly emphasized that the U.S. does not want to limit countries’ partnerships with other countries. But we want countries to have choices on how to deliver results to their citizens as well.
The forthcoming BRICS summit is expected to establish expansionary guidelines for the bloc and discuss which countries could fulfill the criteria to become part of the economic alliance. In contrast, the United States has openly expressed approval of its partner nations’ preliminary steps toward considering this proposal.
Notable Omission: Western Countries Absent from BRICS Summit Guest List
The BRICS alliance extended invitations to 69 countries for the upcoming summit scheduled to take place in South Africa in August. BRICS Ambassador Anil Sooklal confirmed that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa invited all the African heads of state to participate in the summit.
The invitation was also sent to political leaders of various Global South organizations. However, Western countries such as the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France were not invited to the forthcoming BRICS summit.
French President Emmanuel Macron had expressed his eagerness to participate in the BRICS summit but encountered strong resistance. Among the European nations, France was the sole country to manifest its interest in joining the forthcoming gathering. Macron had made contentious remarks concerning the U.S. dollar, advocating for Europe to reduce its reliance on the currency. He referred to the U.S. dollar as a “great risk” when held as reserves by any European nation.
Macron’s desire to participate in the BRICS summit faced resistance from both Russia and China. These two nations suspect that France intends to attend the meeting with the aim of undermining the summit and obtaining sensitive information about its global strategies.
BRICS Summit Set to Break Records
Additionally, Belarus, an Eastern European country, expressed interest in joining the BRICS alliance but has not been invited to the Johannesburg meeting. Consequently, none of the 69 invitations sent to various countries included any Western nation in the list of attendees for the BRICS summit.
Should all the heads of state accept the invitation, the BRICS summit would witness the largest gathering in its history. Sooklal confirmed that during the summit, discussions would focus on “trading in local currencies,” involving the attending leaders. He emphasized that such a massive outreach has never been seen before.
Sooklal also pointed out that a considerable number of countries might embrace the idea of trading in their respective local currencies, driven by the desire for increased flexibility and reduced dependency on the U.S. dollar.