This Saturday, the Brazilian president proposed joint mediation with China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the war between Russia and Ukraine, an issue he said he had discussed in Beijing and Abu Dhabi.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who today concluded a visit to the UAE after being in China, also confirmed the accusations against the United States of America (US) and the European Union (EU) of prolonging the war.
The war was provoked by “decisions made by two countries”, Russia and Ukraine, Lula da Silva said at the press conference in Abu Dhabi that ended his visit to the UAE, quoted by the French agency AFP.
Lula da Silva said he hoped China, the UAE and other countries would join a “political G20” to try to end the war sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. on February 24, 2022.
“President Putin is not taking any initiative to stop the war; [o Presidente Volodymyr] The Ukrainian Zelensky is not taking any initiative to stop the war,” the Brazilian leader said through an official translator.
“Europe and the US continue to contribute to the continuation of the war. That is why they need to sit around the table and say ‘enough’,” he said.
In China, Brazil’s president had accused Washington of “encouraging war” in Ukraine.
Lula da Silva said he suggested to the presidents of the UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyane, and of China, Xi Jinping, that they create a group of countries that would have the mission of mediating.
“The G20 [foi] created to save the economy [mundial]who was in crisis,” he said.
“Now it is important to create a different type of G20 to end this war and make peace. This is my intention and I believe we will succeed,” he said.
Lula da Silva also said he had already discussed the initiative with US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of South American countries.
Brazil’s president arrived in the UAE on Saturday after a two-day visit to China during which he signed deals worth $10 billion (more than €9 billion).
Lula da Silva, who returned to power in January after two terms in office between 2003 and 2010, said in Beijing that Brazil was back on the international stage and hoped to mediate Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Unlike other countries, China and Brazil have never imposed financial sanctions on Russia and both try to position themselves as mediators.
The UAE has also taken a neutral stance on the conflict, causing large numbers of Russian businesspeople to flee the effects of Western sanctions, particularly in Dubai, a major financial center.
The wealthy Gulf country is Brazil’s second largest trading partner in the Middle East, according to the official WAM news agency.
Trade between the two countries, excluding oil products, amounted to more than four billion dollars (3.6 billion euros) in 2022, 32% more than the year before.
The two countries signed a series of agreements on Saturday on the fight against climate change and biofuels.
Source: DN
