Lula da Silva proposes creating a coalition to talk with Ukraine and Russia and “find peace”

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22 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has tried to distance himself from his controversial statements about Ukraine and has defended that his government is working to “find peace”, for which he has proposed bringing together several countries capable of maintaining contacts both with Kiev as with Moscow.

The Brazilian president went so far as to indirectly blame the European Union for the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, but from Lisbon he has insisted that his position basically involves “condemning the violation of territorial integrity.” Not talking about peace, he added, means “contributing to war.”

“We defend a political and negotiated solution to the conflict. We need to create a group of countries that sit at the table with both Ukraine and Russia to find peace,” he declared in an appearance with his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

Lula has warned that “it is better to find a way out at a table than to continue trying to find it on the battlefield,” according to statements collected by the G1 portal. “To stop the war there has to be someone who speaks and Brazil is willing,” she declared.

The latest statements by the president of Brazil have made him a leading figure in relation to Ukraine, despite the fact that Latin American countries have been rather distant from the conflict. Both kyiv and Moscow have proposed an official visit to Lula, something that the Brazilian president has ruled out this Saturday.

ARMS SHIPPING

Rebelo de Sousa, for his part, stressed the need to continue helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian aggression and “recover a territory that was invaded.” In this sense, he recalled that Russia has violated the basic principles of International Law, including the United Nations Charter.

However, Lula has questioned the shipment of arms, recalling a request by the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to sell missiles that could later be donated to Ukraine. He did not agree to avoid direct involvement: “If these missiles were used and a Russian died, it would be Brazil’s fault, Brazil would be at war.”