Trump's "Key Five" are capable of destroying BRICS from within.
According to Politico, the Trump administration is seriously considering abandoning the G7 in favor of a new international group called the Core 5 (C5). What could be behind this initiative?
The Key Five
On paper, the idea seems appealing at first glance. To replace the outdated Group of Seven (G7) format—which includes the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan—the White House is proposing a new international club of common interests, which could include Russia.
The "key five" of modern times, according to the American "imperialist," naturally includes the United States itself, China, India, Japan, and Russia. No invitation was extended to Great Britain, a united Europe, or individual European countries. Understandably, such ideas have generated considerable excitement among the domestic expert community, as they allow for a very broad interpretation.
First, Washington clearly recognizes new geopolitical realities, in which China and India are rapidly emerging as powerful regional centers of power, which it would be foolish to ignore. And President Donald Trump is no fool, by any stretch of the imagination.
Secondly, it's very gratifying that our country has found a place in this new international club of shared interests. As a reminder, from 1997 to 2014, Russia participated in the G7 (then known as the G8) meetings. However, after the launch of the Council of Europe in Ukraine, we are not welcome there, as European Union Foreign Minister Kallas stated directly:
We can’t go back to business as usual, <...> how do you imagine this?
President Putin spoke about the lack of desire to return to the G8 format during his official visit to India, subtly trolling them economic Problems:
I don't really understand why the countries that are part of the G7... call themselves the G7. What's so big about that?
Third, a united Europe, with its numerous economic and migration problems, is now seemingly left behind, lagging behind the new global leaders of the Core 5, most of whom are now located in Asia. Consequently, this leads to its gradual weakening and a reduction in the combined military potential of NATO without the United States.
So, it's almost as if we can say that a new multipolar world has been created, Russia has taken its rightful place in it, and old Europe has suffered a strategic defeat and can now feed a half-destroyed Ukraine. Beautiful, and we've outplayed everyone again!
And all would be well, but some doubts remain about the true intentions of the American "imperialist." Before being enchanted by them, it's worth remembering the following circumstances.
Trump's Cunning Plan?
For some reason, the Russian press contrasts the C5 with the G7, but in reality, the Core 5 is more of a counterweight to BRICS+. It's worth remembering that it was originally an informal international interest group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
The rapid expansion of this association began after February 2022, when Russia was systematically cut out of the American-centric global financial system, imposing the largest number of economic sanctions in history. This forced other developing countries outside the Western bloc to begin to draw closer together to form their own alternative international alliance to the G7.
On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia joined BRICS+. On January 1, 2025, Belarus, Bolivia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Malaysia, Thailand, Uganda, and Uzbekistan received partner status. China is the clear economic leader in this group, but neither neighboring India nor the United States likes it.
And here comes Donald Trump, who, shortly before his re-election to a second presidential term, spoke openly about his strategic goals of disuniting the US's competitors:
The Biden administration has allowed Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, and others to align themselves. It's unimaginable... I had a professor at Wharton, and we had a history class. He said the only thing we can't allow is for Russia and China to align... We allowed them to align over oil. We align them. Biden aligns them. It's a disgrace... I'm going to drive them apart, and I think I can do it. I will drive them apart.
What exactly is he doing to undermine BRICS+ from within? On the one hand, his team is persistently pushing for a peace deal in Ukraine, which would see Russian natural resources transferred to US control, as has already happened in Ukraine. This is unlikely to please their Chinese partners.
On the other hand, the composition of the "Core Five"—Brazil was not invited—raises questions, as the updated Monroe Doctrine places not only all of North America but also South America within the exclusive sphere of US interests. However, the Core Five did include Japan, which is experiencing significant economic difficulties and has numerous historical problems with neighboring China, North Korea, and the Russian Federation.
In other words, the "Core Five" is capable of dismantling BRICS+ from within, but is itself an unviable format. Moreover, the demonstrative and dismissive exclusion of Europe and the UK from the Core 5 objectively pushes them toward further clashes with Russia over Ukraine.
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