JABAR EKSPRES – Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said, Friday (5/26), that he declined Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to attend the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg in June.
He reiterated his interest in mediating peace between Russia and Ukraine.
On social media Twitter, Lula said that he had a telephone conversation with President Putin.
“I have spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone. I thanked him for the invitation to come to the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg and replied that I cannot go to Russia at the moment,” he wrote.
“But reiterated Brazil’s willingness, along with India, Indonesia, and China, to talk with both sides of the conflict to achieve peace,” Lula continued.
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The Brazilian leader has emerged as a prominent figure on the international stage, actively advocating for a peaceful resolution to the two countries’ conflict.
While Lula has publicly condemned Putin’s occupation of Ukrainian territory, he has made it clear that he refrains from direct involvement in the conflict, including refusing to provide any weapons and military resources to the Ukrainian military.
Instead, he advocates the formation of an international alliance similar to the G20 group, with the aim of facilitating peace talks between the warring countries.
Last week, Lula participated in the G7 summit held in Hiroshima, Japan. The Brazilian president had planned to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss peace efforts in Eastern Europe. However, a meeting between Zelenskyy and Lula did not materialize.
“It is only possible to discuss peace when Zelenskyy and Putin want to discuss peace. It is impossible to make proposals in a war. What we want first is that the war stops, the attacks stop, and we try to have a dialog to find a negotiated way out for Ukraine and for Russia,” Lula told a press conference.
