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Lula is in Portugal as part of his journey to make it clear that he seeks to be a mediator, along with other countries, interested in a political solution to the war in Ukraine. This is his way of relaunching relations between Brazil and Europe, after a period of estrangement during the mandate of Jair Bolsonaro. His capacity for dialogue is part of his formula to consolidate himself as one of the leaders of the Global South.
As part of the plan to reposition Brazil on the international stage, this first day of President Lula’s state visit to Portugal began.
On Saturday, April 22, he met with the Portuguese Head of State Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister António Costa. The most pertinent theme of the day was the vision of the war in Ukraine.
“Brazil wants to find a way to restore peace between Russia and Ukraine,” Lula said at a press conference after meeting with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
“Russia does not want to stop, Ukraine does not want to stop, we are going to have to find a group of countries that can build a relationship of trust,” he added.
This statement is important because recently his public speech, related to this war, generated both controversy and anger in the West and Ukraine.
Last weekend, Lula claimed that Ukraine and Russia had decided to go to war, suggesting that the West shared some responsibility for the Ukraine conflict and “stimulated” the fighting with arms sales.
As antecedent, which supports this position of the president, is the fact that Brazil, a country dependent on Russia in its supply of fertilizers and fuel, at the beginning of the year received a request from Germany to return the unused ammunition of the 34 anti-aircraft defenses, that Brazil had bought from him with the preventive idea of protecting its skies in the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. President Lula’s response was blunt: not if it was for Ukraine.
Taking into account his recent positions on the issue, it is clear that Lula has wanted to mediate between the two sides of the dispute.
He received on Monday in Brasilia the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov, who “thanked” Brazil for its “contribution” in the search for a solution to the conflict and “for its excellent understanding of the genesis of this situation”; but, in turn, the next day, he condemned Russia’s “violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
These specific messages, which generate media resonance, especially internationally, have become more frequent since the beginning of the month when the Brazilian leader had suggested that, in order to end the war, Ukraine should cede Crimea, which Russia seized illegally in 2014. .
Ukraine’s harsh response was immediate: “Ukraine does not trade with its territories,” said the spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, the following day.
The return to the international agenda
This is not the only issue that President Lula discussed in Portugal. Trade agreements and the treaty between the European Union and Mercosur were also part of the agenda.
Thus, the end of his visit to Portugal will be this Tuesday with the expectation of signing some agreements and consolidating diplomatic relations between the two countries. Then Spain awaits.
The Brazilian president has already met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden. He was also with President Xi Jinping, in China, which has become Brazil’s largest economic partner, with a third of its exports.
“We have an extraordinary relationship with China, a relationship that grows sharper and stronger every day,” said the Brazilian president during his visit.
Among other things, the Brazilian leader intends to reactivate the “Brics”, the group of emerging countries, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Another country that received him was the United Arab Emirates, where he was with the head of the government, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyane. With this State, rich in hydrocarbons, Brazil maintains a bilateral trade that amounted to 5,768 million dollars in 2022, an increase of 74.5% compared to the previous year, according to official Brazilian data.
With their trips to Argentina and Uruguay this year he inaugurated his state visits, which reinforce the role of Brazil on the international scene, after years of isolation under the mandate of Jair Bolsonaro. At the same time, they can consolidate Lula as one of the leaders of the global south.
With EFE, AFP and Reuters
