Ukrainian vice-minister: Brazil can help stop Russian aggression

Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrii Melnyk stated Wednesday (May 10) that Brazil could “play an important role in stopping Russian aggression and achieving a lasting and just peace.” Melnyk made the statement after meeting with Celso Amorim, Brazil’s special advisor for International Affairs, in Kyiv.

According to the Brazilian government, the meeting aimed to provide former Brazilian chancellor Celso Amorim with an understanding of the main demands required to initiate peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. The conflict began in February 2022, and the meeting allowed Ukrainian representatives to communicate their objectives to Amorim.

“Brazil is making a significant effort” to form a coalition of countries, including China and India, to negotiate a peace agreement,” says President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

During a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Brasília on Tuesday (9), Lula stated: “I think that this is a time for diplomacy, not a time for war. Everybody knows that Brazil condemned the territorial invasion of Ukraine. The continuation of the war will only lead to death.”

Russia

In early April, Celso Amorim traveled to Moscow, the capital of Russia, for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. The following week, after President Lula’s visit to China, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Brazil.

“I hope Celso can provide indications of potential solutions that would allow us to initiate peace talks. With information about Putin’s and Zelensky’s positions, we will have more tools to negotiate with other nations and possibly put an end to this war,” stated the Brazilian president.