Belarus, North Korea, Nicaragua and Syria voted against UN resolution calling for Russians to leave Ukrainian territory
Brazil was the only Brics country to vote in UN General Assembly (United Nations) for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. The resolution calling for the Russians to leave Ukrainian territory was discussed this Thursday (23.Feb.2023) and received 141 votes in favor, 7 against and 31 abstentions. read the full of the resolution (189 KB, in English)
The change in the Brazilian attitude towards the war in Ukraine indicates that the country is moving away from the position of the Brics – the group that brings together Brazil, Russia, China, India and South Africa– regarding the conflict in Europe.
China, India and South Africa abstained. Russia voted against the resolution. Argentina –which is not part of the Brics, but asked to join the bloc– voted in favor of the text, as did Brazil.
Voting on the text took place 1 month before Lula’s trip to China. The Brazilian president has sought rapprochement with as many international leaders as possible. The meeting with Xi Jinping aims to form a group of countries that discuss the end of the war and reformulate the UN Security Council.
Regarding the war, Lula said that China is not “getting into the discussion“ and wants to discuss with Xi how the Asian country can participate in the resolution of the conflict.
The petista had already taken the proposal to form a bloc to end the war to the president of the United States, Joe Biden. However, Lula’s idea runs into a difficulty: the Chinese are Russia’s allies, while the North Americans are on Ukraine’s side in the conflict.
The document was also sent to Russian Vice Chancellor Mikhail Galuzin. Despite PT efforts, the text does not change the Russian position on the conflict. Galuzin said that “if the West and Kiev want to sit down at the negotiating table, they must first stop bombing Russian cities and lay down their weapons“.
Even though he ignored Lula’s request, the Russian vice-chancellor said he values the way in which the Brazilian has dealt with the conflict. In an interview with the Russian news agency TassGaluzin stated that Brazil has a “balanced position in the current international situation“.
positions in war
The president navigates between impartial and pro-Russian statements since the beginning of the conflict. In May 2022, still in the pre-election campaign, the PT was criticized for a statement about the conflict. In an interview with the magazine TeamLula said that Putin and Zelensky had the same responsibility for the war.
The Ukrainian president criticized this position. “Nono matter what the Russian state does, there is always someone who says: we will take into account your interests”, he stated.
Lula also criticized the role of the UN in mediating the war. According to the petista, the organization is responsible for escalating the conflicts.
“It is important for us to repudiate yet another war in the 21st century, an unnecessary thing that could have been resolved, even if the UN had more representation, more strength, to avoid”, said Lula shortly after Russia attacked Ukraine, on February 24, 2022.
For the petista, Brazil needs to act more “hard” and ask for changes to “get the UN out of being a decorative thing”. The president also criticized Russia’s decision for military action. Lula asserted that the conflict only leads to more despair.
On February 10, 2023, Lula said that sending ammunition to Ukraine is a way to enter the conflict.
Lula & external conflicts
The petista has a history of trying to mediate conflicts without taking a clear position on them. In November 2009, Lula received the then Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, at the Itamaraty Palace, in the midst of a diplomatic crisis between Iran and Israel.
Ahmadinejad had said 1 month earlier that Israeli attacks against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip were “barbarians” and a form of “genocide“. In September of that year, the Iranian also stated that the Holocaust was a “myth” created by the West. At the meeting, Lula said that the “Brazilian foreign policy is guided by the commitment to democracy and respect for diversity“.
“We defend the human rights and freedom of choice of our citizens with the same vehemence with which we repudiate any act of intolerance or resort to terrorism“, he stated.
The role played by the United Nations Security Council in conflict resolution has also been raised by the current Brazilian president. In a speech at COP27 shortly after the 2022 elections, Lula defended the end of the body’s veto power.
“It is necessary to include more countries in the UN Security Council and end the veto privilege, currently restricted to a few, for the effective promotion of balance and peace”said Lula.
The body’s permanent council is formed by the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, France and China. The veto power can be used by any of the 5 members of the Council and has made it difficult for the UN to make decisions, since Russia bars unfavorable measures to the government of Vladimir Putin.
FULL WAR 1 YEAR
On February 24, 2022, President of Russia Vladimir Putin authorized the beginning of a “special military operation” in Ukraine. With the justification of “demilitarize”, “denazify” and protect the population of the breakaway provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, started a year-long war.
Today, the conflict is at an impasse in which Russians continue to attack to gain control of territories in eastern Ukraine. However, Ukrainians manage to defend themselves against the offensives, especially because of the help given by the US and European countries.
Read other reports published in Power360 about the subject:
Correction
24.Feb.2023 (22h33) – differently than the post mentioned above, China, South Africa and India abstained of the vote, and did not vote against. The text has been corrected and updated.
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