NAfter harsh criticism from the United States of his pro-Moscow stance, Brazil’s left-wing head of state Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “While we condemn violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, my government remains committed to a politically negotiated settlement of the conflict,” Lula said Tuesday during a visit by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis to Brasília.
Lula urges an end to the Ukraine war, emphasizing US and EU responsibility. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby reacted angrily to Lula’s comments on Monday. “In this case, Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without even looking at the facts,” Kirby said. Such statements on the Ukraine war are “deeply problematic”.
Lula’s top foreign policy adviser Celso Amorim dismissed Kirby’s criticism as “absurd” on Tuesday. There are “several points of agreement” between Russia and Brazil, “but Brazil has repeatedly condemned the invasion of Ukraine under the current government,” Amorim told GloboNews.
Lula received Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday. The Russian chief diplomat thanked Brazil for the “clear understanding” of the origin of this Ukraine conflict and its “contribution to the search for a solution to this conflict”.
Presidential visits to front lines of Ukraine
After Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also paid a visit to the front in eastern Ukraine. While Zelenskyy’s visit to Avdiivka on Tuesday was clearly documented, the exact timing of Putin’s visit to the areas occupied by his troops remained unclear.
Putin ordered the war of aggression against the neighboring country in February 2022. Later, in violation of international law, Russia annexed Ukrainian territories, including Cherson and Luhansk, but also Donetsk and Zaporizhia. In Cherson in southern Ukraine, Putin had the commander of the airborne troops, Colonel-General Mikhail Teplinsky, describe the situation to him, according to a statement. In Luhansk in the east, he met Colonel-General Alexander Lapin and other high-ranking officers.
