During a state visit to Portugal, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva once again criticized Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s state integrity. From this, however, he did not derive any demand for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, but called for peace talks.
Indirectly he put attacker and attacked on the same level. “Russia doesn’t want to stop and Ukraine doesn’t want to stop,” he said in Lisbon today, the Portuguese news agency Lusa reported. Brazil wants to work with partners to facilitate peace between Russia and Ukraine. He did not give details.
In January, Lula proposed international mediation involving Brazil and China. Kiev categorically rejected a suggestion by Brasilia that Ukraine should give up the Crimean Peninsula, which had been annexed by Russia, for the sake of peace. A few days ago, the South American criticized the military support given to Ukraine by NATO and other countries. On a visit to China, he said: “The US must stop promoting war and start talking about peace. The EU needs to start talking about peace.”
The United States had then sharply criticized Lula. “Brazil parroted Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts,” National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington on Monday. It is deeply problematic when Brazil claims that the US and Europe are not interested in peace or are jointly responsible for the war.
Lula’s host, Portugal’s President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, underlined the differences between the two countries on this issue. Ukraine has the right to defend itself and to liberate its territory occupied by Russia, he stressed. Only on this basis is a lasting peace possible.
