Ukraine: Lula wants to create a group for peace

Arms deliveries to Ukraine are accelerating and President Zelensky’s pressure on his allies to increase these exports seems to know no bounds. Yet guarantors of the defunct Minsk agreements, France and Germany seem to have lost the diplomatic compass to throw themselves, despite their apparent procrastination, into the war camp. It is in this context that the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made it known that, in « interest » of his country, he would not send any ammunition to Ukraine. Whoever announced the return of Brazil on the international scene on the occasion of his victory at the end of October, knows how much he is expected on the external level. No doubt his allies would have liked him to be content to weigh in on the negotiations on the environment and trade. But, he insists, “Brazil is a country of peace”.

A clear appeal to China

So he resumed the diplomatic offensive and suggested « to create a group of countries that try to sit down at the table with Ukraine and Russia to find a peaceful solution ». Lula says he has already raised the issue with President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, traveling to Brazil this week, before meeting Joe Biden in Washington on February 10. “Then we will look for other presidents to talk about the idea of ​​creating this group. If I go to China in March, this is one of the topics I want to discuss with President Xi Jinping”, he assured. Before questioning Beijing’s lack of involvement in the case: « It’s time for China to get its hands dirty and try to help find peace between Russia and Ukraine ».

Zelensky « on TV, morning, noon and night »

In recent weeks, the United States and France have been urging the countries of the South, many of whom refrained from condemning Russia in the vote at the United Nations General Assembly last year, to join the Western camp. During his election campaign, the Brazilian head of state spoke out for these non-aligned people, believing that Volodymyr Zelensky was “as responsible as Putin” in this war. “Looks like he’s part of a show. He is on TV morning, noon and night. He is in the British Parliament, in the French Parliament, in the German Parliament, in the Italian Parliament, as if he were leading a political campaign. He should be at the negotiating table,” Lula then explained before questioning the Russian belligerent and the lack of diplomatic activism of the United States.

Brazil, an open partner

The diplomatic framework he proposes today is based on the observation that the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council are blocked. Comparing the situation to that which prevailed before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, on the pretext of the alleged existence of weapons of mass destruction, Lula believes that the causes of the current conflict should be clarified. He now intends to take advantage of the weight of Brazil in various bodies, including the BRICS which notably bring together Russia and China, to push his partners on the path of dialogue.