Diplomat Anatoliy Tkach, Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires in Brazil, said this Monday (28) that President Jair Bolsonaro is “misinformed” about the war started against Russia against his country.
In an interview with the press, at the headquarters of the Ukrainian embassy in Brasilia, he was asked about the statements made this Sunday by Bolsonaro, who said it was an exaggeration to speak of a massacre and that Brazil would maintain a position of neutrality.
“I think the president of Brazil is misinformed. Perhaps it would be interesting for him to talk to the Ukrainian president to have another position and a more objective view,” said Anatoliy, who currently heads Ukraine’s diplomatic mission in Brazil, as there is currently no country’s ambassador in Brasilia.
He drew attention to Putin’s threat to trigger nuclear weapons in the event of an escalation in the conflict.
“Right now we are in a very delicate moment, when we are deciding the future not only of Ukraine but also of Europe and the world. At the moment, it is not about support for Ukraine, but support for democratic values, international law, including fundamentals such as non-violation of borders, respect for state sovereignty and territorial integrity”, added the diplomat then.
He said that there was still no attempt to make contact between Bolsonaro and Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine. Asked about Bolsonaro’s comment that the Ukrainian people would have chosen a comedian for the presidency, Anatoliy replied:
“Our president is democratically elected, no matter what his profession was before he was elected. Now he is the leader of the nation and he is now leading the war against the second largest army in the world.”
The diplomat said that this Monday he asked the Itamaraty for humanitarian help, presenting a list of essential items, such as food and medicine. So far, there has been no response.
He was asked by People’s Gazette whether Brazil’s position at the United Nations against economic sanctions against Russia is a mistake. He said that even Switzerland, which has traditionally remained neutral, has joined in the measures to stifle the Russian economy.
“We would like greater support and greater condemnation from Brazil to Russia. We have to stop this aggression […] Sanctions are a means of deterrence aimed at ending the current war diplomatically,” he said.
Attacks on Ukraine
Anatoliy began the interview by narrating the latest Russian attacks on the capital Kiev and other important Ukrainian cities. There are Russian missiles being launched from Belarus, chaired by Aleksandr Lukashenko, allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Among the targets are infrastructure facilities, including dams near nuclear power plants, although there is still no news of a leak of radioactive material.
Orphanages and hospitals were also targeted. So far, according to the diplomat, Ukraine already has 2,040 wounded civilians, including 45 children; and 352 people were killed, 16 of which were children.
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