BRASILIA: Brazil pushed back over the criticism by the US that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is parroting Chinese and Russian propaganda on Ukraine’s war as he held talks with Moscow’s top diplomat.
President Lula’s meeting with Sergei Lavrov on Monday in Brasilia follows state visits to the Middle East and China. Lula said the US should “stop encouraging war and should start talking about peace” in Ukraine.
Lula also claimed Kyiv is blamed for the conflict, which began when Moscow forces entered Ukraine in February last year.
Lula da Silva’s remarks echoed a line usually used by Moscow and its strategic partner Beijing, which blame the West for the war.
In addition to earning a US reproof, the comments also drew frustration Tuesday from Ukraine, which warned Brazil’s leader was giving “equal weighting” to Kyiv and Moscow over the origins of the war.
China opted to be neutral on the Ukraine conflict but has also maintained its partnership with Russia and refrained from imposing sanctions.
In the Brazilian capital, Lavrov thanked President Lula for his talk last week on seeking to assist in mediating peace talks.
But Lula’s recent remarks on the issue of Ukraine sparked criticism from the US.
While talking to reporters on Monday, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Brazil was parroting Chinese and Russian propaganda without looking for the facts.
He described the message of Lula on the war as “deeply problematic.”
Brazil’s Reaction on Remarks by US
To this, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira bounced back on the remarks and said that he didn’t know how or why Kirby reached that conclusion as he did not agree with these remarks.
Despite remarks about the US, Lula, who returned to power in January 2033 after serving two terms since 2010, also wanted closer relations with the US.
But Lula’s latest remarks antagonized Kyiv, which stressed Brasilia denied Russian aggression as the cause of the conflict.
Meanwhile, G7 foreign ministers on Tuesday warned that any nation helping Moscow’s war effort would face severe consequences.
Meeting in Japan, the top officials from the world’s powerful economies pledged to crack down on those nations who want to help Russia evade sanctions and acquire weapons.
Brazil has not joined Western countries in imposing sanctions on Moscow for its invasion and has refused requests to supply ammunition to Ukraine.
Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, after meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, said that they were grateful to their Brazilian friends for the clear understanding of the essence of the situation in Ukraine, adding that “We are grateful for their desire to contribute to finding ways of settling this situation,”
Russia desires a swift end to the conflict, but any solution would have to be based on “multipolarity,” he said, accusing the West of wanting to dominate the international stage.
