Lula calls for a “peace group” to negotiate an agreement between Ukraine and Russia

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday again proposed the creation of a group of countries not involved in the war between Russia and Ukraine to mediate for peace, saying he had discussed the matter with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. , earlier this week.

“I think we have to sit at a table and say: ‘enough, let’s start talking’, because the war never brought or will bring any benefit to humanity,” said Lula, who has been critical of the United States and the European Union for his role in the conflict.

The Brazilian president told reporters in Abu Dhabi, where he ended a trip to Asia, that he was trying to bring together a group of leaders who “prefer to talk about peace than war.”

He cited Xi and the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with whom he met this week.

Lula had previously said that the group should bring together countries that would not “encourage” the war, adding that nations that supply weapons had to be convinced to stop doing so.

The United States and the European Union have been supplying arms and other aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded the neighboring country more than a year ago. Germany reportedly asked Brazil earlier this year to also supply weapons, but Lula refused.

Lula repeated that the decision to start the war was “taken by two countries”, seeming to blame Ukraine as well, adding that ending the war will be more difficult as more nations will have to be persuaded.

“We are trying to form a group of countries that have no involvement in the war to talk with Russia and Ukraine, but also with the United States and the EU, to convince people that peace is the best way to establish a conversation process,” said Lula.

Lula had a call with the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, at the beginning of the year. On Monday, her government will receive the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, in Brasilia.

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