Washington, Apr 18 (EFE).- The United States said on Tuesday that it feels “surprised” by the statements made in recent days by the Brazilian government, which has blamed NATO for prolonging the war in Ukraine, and considered that the tone of those comments “is not neutral”.
This is how the spokeswoman for the White House dam, Karine Jean-Pierre, positioned herself this Tuesday, who specifically alluded to the press conference held on Monday in Brasilia by the Brazilian Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who He is touring Latin America.
“We are surprised by the tone of the foreign minister’s press conference yesterday. That was not a tone of neutrality, suggesting that the United States and Europe are not interested in peace or that we bear responsibility for the war. That is directly wrong,” Jean-Pierre said at a press conference.
In this regard, the spokeswoman recalled that the United States and the European Union have tried to talk with Russia since the first signs that the Kremlin was preparing an invasion of Ukraine in mid-2021, and explained that these contacts were maintained until the start of the war in February 2022.
During the press conference, Lavrov once again blamed the “West and NATO” for the invasion of Ukraine, while Vieira criticized the economic sanctions that the EU, the United States and other countries have imposed on Russia.
After that press conference, Lavrov met privately with the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Last week, while visiting China, Lula considered that the United States should stop “promoting” the war in Ukraine and “start talking about peace.”
On Sunday, from Abu Dhabi, the Brazilian leader insisted on these criticisms by pointing out the United States, as well as the European Union, for being “contributing” to the continuation of the war.
In the last hours, the EU and the United States have responded with harsh criticism of Lula. The most blunt was John Kirby, one of the White House spokesmen, who on Monday claimed that Lula has been “parroting” Russian and Chinese propaganda on the conflict.
However, despite Lula’s words, the White House spokeswoman said Tuesday that Washington feels “confident in the strength” of the bilateral relationship with Brazil.
A similar message was delivered by Juan González, the main advisor for Latin America to US President Joe Biden, during a speech on Tuesday at the EFE Dialogues event, organized by the EFE Agency.
González said that Washington has welcomed the leadership role that Brazil wants to play in peace for Ukraine, but recalled that this nation and all those that are part of the UN have pledged to respect the values contained in the Charter of Nations Nations, including the principle of sovereignty.
“The idea that the United States does not support peace or had something to do with the start of the war, is something that is not based on facts,” González said.
Just two months ago, Lula met with Biden at the White House and the two then spoke about the Brazilian’s proposal to create a group -made up of the United States, Germany, France, Brazil, India, and China, among others- to mediate in the conflict.
The Brazilian president has insisted in recent days on the creation of this group, which he has described as a “G20 for peace.”
EFE Dialogues, the forum in which González spoke, wants to establish itself in the United States as a forum for dialogue on relations between North America and South America. The forum held this Tuesday had the support of the Cultural Office of the Spanish Embassy in the United States and the airline Iberia.
