Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will talk by phone in the coming days. The news was given by the Russian government this Thursday (6) after Putin’s meeting with former president Dilma Rousseff. The announcement comes amid a diplomatic effort by Moscow to try to divert attention from the Peace Summit, an event that is expected to bring together around 100 heads of state and government in Switzerland to debate a solution to the war in Ukraine.
Dilma, who currently presides over the New Development Bank, also known as the BRICS Bank, was in Russia and met bilaterally with the Russian dictator. The Kremlin took advantage of the occasion to announce a conversation between Putin and Lula with the alleged aim of strengthening bilateral relations.
“Please convey my best wishes to the current president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. We have agreed to hold a telephone call with him in the coming days to discuss bilateral ties and we look forward to seeing him in Kazan this fall at the summit of Brics”, Putin told Dilma. The speech was sent to the Brazilian press by Russian diplomats.
The Brazilian government signed a treaty in China in May in which it supports Russia’s peace proposal to end the invasion of Ukraine. The plan calls for the territorial annexation of at least a fifth of Ukraine by Russia. The territory was invaded in 2022 by Russian forces without any threat or military action from Ukraine. The Kyiv government understands the Chinese plan as a proposal for surrender and not as a proposal for lasting peace.
At the moment, Moscow and Kyiv are also waging war in the diplomatic sphere. While Ukrainians try to gather as many country representatives as possible at the Peace Summit in Switzerland next week, Russia struggles to empty the event. President Lula has already demonstrated his support for Moscow by announcing that he will boycott the summit.
The Brazilian government says it will not participate in the event because Russia is not going. Moscow has said it will not attend the peace talks and behind the scenes has been trying to influence developing countries to do the same.
Brazil tries to strengthen ties with Russia and takes advantage of the war to buy diesel
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sought to strengthen ties with Russia. In May, the president and the Workers’ Party congratulated Putin on his “re-election”. The election that elected the Russian for his fifth term was contested by the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom, as there was in practice no opposing candidate in the election.
“This historic feat highlights the importance of voluntary voting in Russia”, says a note signed by the PT’s Secretary of International Relations, Romênio Pereira. “We congratulate the United Russia Party for the significant result that guaranteed President Putin’s victory with more than 87% of the votes. We renew our commitment to strengthening our ties of partnership and friendship, working together towards a fairer, multilateral and plural world”, continues the text.
The Brazilian government has decided not to adhere to Western sanctions on the international sale of Russian oil and its derivatives, the profits of which have been used to finance Moscow’s war machine. Thus, Brazil is now the world’s third largest buyer of refined petroleum products from Russia, especially diesel.
Putin and Lula leaders are expected to meet in person in the second half of this year for the BRICS Summit, which Russia will host in the city of Kazan. Putin cannot visit Western countries because he is wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes. In search of rapprochements with Russia beyond the BRICS (acronym for the bloc formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the Brazilian government has already made official visits to Moscow in recent months and Lula has already received, for two times, Russian Chancellor Sergey Lavrov.
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