Ukraine war: Brazil’s president rejects Vladimir Putin’s invitation to visit Russia
- The president refused to go to St. Petersburg but reiterated Brazil’s availability along with India, Indonesia and China to negotiate peace with Moscow and Kiev.
- The denial came during the G7 summit in Japan and shortly after a dispute between Ukraine’s Zelensky, where the two had a scheduled meeting.
Brazilian President Luiz Anasio da Silva rejected an invitation to visit St. Petersburg in a telephone conversation with His Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
The denial comes days after a dispute broke out between Ukraine’s President Vladimir Zelensky and the Group of Seven summit in Japan.
”I thanked Putin for inviting me to attend the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg and replied that I can’t go to Russia at this time.
But I reiterated Brazil’s availability with India, Indonesia and China to talk to both sides of the conflict to achieve peace.
Ukraine has been at war with its much larger neighbour Russia since Putin ordered an attack in February 2022.
While many Western countries have sent weapons to Ukraine to help defend itself and impose financial sanctions on Moscow, they have instead sought to present themselves as mediators, creating a group of countries seeking a peace deal through negotiations.
After the planned meeting in Japan, he earlier said he was “upset” and had earlier claimed that he saw no point in meeting Zelensky and that neither he nor Putin wanted peace.
”Right now, they both believe they’re going to win the war,” he said.
Last year faced criticism when he claimed that Zelensky was as responsible for the war as Putin.
