Reuters Joins Bloomberg in Aiming To Sow Discord in BRICS on Expansion Policy

Aug. 2, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—A Reuters wire today argued that Brazil is “a holdout” on the plan to expand the BRICS, which will be a central topic at the upcoming Aug. 22-24 BRICS Summit in South Africa. The source of Reuters’ provocative analysis is... “an anonymous Brazilian official” who purportedly said: “An expansion could transform the bloc into something else.” Bloomberg has similarly been beating the drums of discord on this topic over recent weeks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked about Bloomberg’s reports of divisions yesterday. He said:

“Indeed, the topic of BRICS’s expansion is near the top of the agenda, including the agenda of the upcoming summit. This is a very important topic because we see that increasingly more countries are making statements about their intention to join this group. Indeed, within the framework of BRICS, certain nuances exist among members on the subject of expansion, and all these nuances certainly will be discussed during the upcoming summit.... Overall, such a [high level of] interest in the BRICS group is indicative of the association’s great potential and growing authority, and, most importantly, of the hands-on nature of the group.”

Bloomberg TV also made sure to interview Leslie Maasdorp, the bankers’ rep who has the post of Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of the BRICS New Development Bank, who went out of his way to try to throw cold water on the discussion underway in the BRICS about alternatives to the toxic dollar financial system. Maasdorp told Bloomberg TV that “the development of anything alternative [to the dollar] is more a medium- to long-term ambition. There is no suggestion right now to create a BRICS currency.”