The Brazilian president today 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 Inácio Lula da Silva, who ended his visit to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday after having been in China, also reaffirmed the accusations against the United States of America (USA) 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 United Arab Emirates, quoted by the French agency AFP.
Lula da Silva said he hoped China, the United Arab Emirates and other countries would come together in 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] Zelensky of Ukraine 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 have to sit at the table and say ‘enough’,” he said.
In China, the Brazilian president had accused Washington of “fomenting war” in Ukraine.
Lula da Silva said he had suggested to the presidents of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyane, and of China, Xi Jinping, the creation of a group of countries that would have the mission of mediating.
“The G20 [foi] formed to save the economy [mundial]I was in crisis,” he said.
“Now it is important to create another type of G20 to end this war and establish peace. That is my intention and I think we will achieve it, ”he said.
Lula da Silva also said that 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.
The president of Brazil arrived in the United Arab Emirates this Saturday, after a two-day visit to China, during which he signed agreements worth 10,000 million dollars (more than 9,000 million euros).
Lula da Silva, who returned to power in January after two terms 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 are trying to position themselves as mediators.
The United Arab Emirates has also taken a neutral stance on the conflict, attracting large numbers of Russian businessmen fleeing the impact of Western sanctions, particularly in Dubai, a major financial hub.
The rich Gulf country is Brazil’s second-biggest trading partner in the Middle East, according to the official WAM news agency.
Trade between the two countries, excluding oil derivatives, amounted to more than four billion dollars (3.6 billion euros) in 2022, 32% more than the previous year.
The two countries signed, on Saturday, a series of agreements on the fight against climate change and biofuels.
Source: TSF
