Brazilian President: US should cease “encouraging” the conflict in Ukraine

The United States should stop “encouraging” the conflict in Ukraine, according to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Saturday.

In order to persuade Putin and Zelensky that peace is in the interests of everyone and that war is currently only interesting to them, Lula told reporters in Beijing that the United States and the European Union must stop promoting war and begin talking about peace.

Lula also disclosed that he and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed creating a group of world leaders that have the same views on Ukraine during their discussions.

“I have a notion that I have already defended with Macron, German Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz, Vice President Biden, and yesterday, we had a lengthy discussion with Xi Jinping. A coalition of nations that are eager to find a peaceful solution must be assembled, according to Lula.

Following Russia’s invasion, the US and EU have been significant weaponry and assistance suppliers to Ukraine.

As long as Vladimir Putin is president of Russia, peace negotiations, according to Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, are off the table.

Lula met with Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday in an effort to repair the hostile ties between China and Brazil that existed under former President Jair Bolsonaro.

But it also demonstrates a growing distancing from the geopolitical issues that the West is preoccupied with.

While the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has dominated much diplomatic discussion in Europe and Washington, Lula’s visit to China is primarily focused on trade, how Chinese investment might help Brazil’s economy get back on track, and the potentially lucrative world of carbon credits.

Lula, like many leaders in middle-income and developing nations, has chosen a non-interventionist approach to the conflict in Ukraine, rejecting efforts by US Vice President Joe Biden to galvanize the international community against Russia’s invasion.