Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was received by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on Saturday at the start of a state visit to Portugal. Talks with the Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa were then on the schedule, as reported by the state news agency Lusa.
It was eagerly awaited whether Lula would try to limit the damage after his controversial statements on the role of the USA and the EU in the Ukraine war.
During a visit to China a few days ago, Lula said: “The United States must stop promoting war and start talking about peace. The EU needs to start talking about peace.”
The USA had therefore sharply criticized Lula. “Brazil parroted Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts,” National Security Council communications director John Kirby said in Washington last Monday. It is deeply problematic when Brazil claims that the US and Europe are not interested in peace or are responsible for the war.
Lula’s talks in Portugal are also likely to be about the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which has been on hold for years. Thirteen bilateral agreements are to be signed with Portugal. “The trip is part of a reboot of Brazil’s relations with its key partners, as it has done previously with visits to China, the United States, Argentina and Uruguay,” Lusa said in a statement from Brazil’s presidential office. (dpa)
