Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he was “sad” not to see his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the G7 summit.

“We waited, we waited (…), but it was not visible,” he said.

Mr. Zelensky, who has secured new pledges of military hardware and diplomatic support from the G7 in Hiroshima, Japan, asked to speak directly to his Brazilian counterpart, who, while condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is also critical of the West.

But the two leaders didn’t meet because they had a very busy schedule. The cancellation of the appointment probably “disappointed” the Brazilian leader, the Ukrainian president commented.

“I’m not disappointed,” Lula replied at a press conference before leaving Japan. “They were upset because I would like to meet with him and discuss this issue with him,” he continued. “Nevertheless Mr. Zelensky is an adult. He knows what he’s doing“.

He specified that the meeting with Mr. Zelensky would take place on Sunday afternoon, the last day of the G7. However, the President of Ukraine was late, and his schedule, already very tight, did not allow for a new meeting.

Lula also noted that he does not see Mr. Zelensky’s interest in discussing, at least immediately, believing that neither Ukrainian President nor Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to discuss peace.

“At the moment, they are both convinced that they will win the war,” he explained.

Unlike Western powers, Brazil has never imposed sanctions on Russia or supplied Russia with weapons. It is trying to play, like China and Indonesia, a mediating role.

Brazil’s center-left president sparked backlash last month when he told Beijing that the US and EU should stop “promoting war” and “start talking about peace.”

This statement provoked a sharp reaction from Washington, which accused Brasilia of “repeating Russian and Chinese propaganda without regard to facts.”

Lula partially changed his tone, recalling that he had repeatedly condemned the Russian military invasion, but resumed his criticism of the US government.

In his opinion, American President Joe Biden sends a signal that “Putin must surrender and pay for what he has destroyed.” That message, Lula added, “doesn’t help at all.”

Source: RES-IPE