According to the Kremlin, Russia and BRICS do not have plans for a common currency, contrary to previous reports. Following threats from US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs on the BRICS nation for creating such a currency, the bloc insists that no such plans exist.
JUST IN: Kremlin says BRICS is not discussing the creation of a common currency after President Trump threatened 100% tariffs on BRICS nations. pic.twitter.com/8qmyiKptCB
— BRICS News (@BRICSinfo) January 31, 2025
Trump on Thursday warned BRICS member countries about replacing the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency by repeating a threat of 100% tariffs he had made weeks after winning the November presidential election. “The idea that the BRICS Countries are trying to move away from the Dollar, while we stand by and watch, is OVER,” the President said on Truth Social. “We are going to require a commitment from these seemingly hostile Countries that they will neither create a new BRICS Currency, nor back any other Currency to replace the mighty U.S. Dollar or, they will face 100% Tariffs, and should expect to say goodbye to selling into the wonderful U.S. Economy.“
Kremlin Denies BRICS Currency Developments
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says BRICS, of which Russia is a founder, was not talking about setting up its own currency, but merely about creating joint investment platforms. He added U.S. experts should brief Trump in more detail about what BRICS is doing.
BRICS has been in active discussions about developing its own common currency for years. The talks have become more concrete in the last year, with more nations joining in and interest in the bloc growing. Despite the story of BRICS looking to overthrow the greenback, the bloc recently insisted it’s not pursuing de-dollarization. Peskov’s statement doubles down on this, saying that the bloc never wanted to abandon the USD altogether, simply providing an alternative for countries who have lost trust in the US currency.
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More countries are ditching the US dollar for local currency alternatives as the greenback faces continuous pressure. Donald Trump’s tariff plan also stands to put the greenback in more jeopardy, isolating it from countries out East. While Trump is looking to save the US dollar from opposition, he could in turn be adding to the nation’s current economic rivals.