The BRICS leaders voiced "serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures," warning they are illegal and arbitrary, according to a final summit statement. In April, Trump threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive duties, but abruptly offered a reprieve in the face of a fierce market sell-off.

BRICS leaders descended on sunny Rio de Janeiro Sunday, but issued a dark warning that US President Donald Trump's "indiscriminate" import tariffs risk hurting the global economy.

But the summit's political punch will be depleted by the absence of China's Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.