Recently met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov his Brazilian colleague Mauro Vieira in Brasília. The purpose of the visit was, among other things, to talk about the war in Ukraine.
– We are grateful for our Brazilian friends’ clear understanding of the emergence of the situation, Lavrov said at a press conference after the meeting.
The meeting is seen by many in the West as further proof that Brazil is siding with Russia in the war.
Want to form a “peace club”
Brazilian President Lula da Silva, for example, has not wanted to supply Ukraine with weapons and has claimed, among other things, that Ukraine is as guilty of the war as Russia. Lula has also said that Ukraine should consider giving up Crimea for the sake of peace, and has announced that he wants to form a “peace club” with China, among others, to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine.
– Brazil has a pragmatic approach. They try to take advantage of the conflict while positioning themselves as a country that works for peace and initiate a discussion on how we can end the conflict, says Kessio Lemos, Brazilian researcher at the South American Policy and Strategy Institute.
According to Kessio Lemos, Lula da Silva wants to have a more influential role on the international stage.
– Brazilian diplomacy has assumed a more active role with the new government taking office in 2023. This could be a way to take a leadership position in order to create a legacy.
Addiction to Russian fertilizers
The attitude towards Russia is also about purely commercial interests, says Lemos. Brazil is one of the world’s largest exporters of food and is heavily dependent on Russian fertilizers. Imports from Russia have increased since the full-scale invasion a year ago.
– Right now, Brazil is trying to position itself as a neutral actor while taking advantage of the fact that Russia is under sanctions, which means better commercial opportunities for Brazil because the market access for Russian products is very limited.
Hear more from Kessio Lemos see more in The Foreign Office: Putin’s pals in SVT Play.
