Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Brazil for a state visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrovarrived this Monday at Palace of Itamaraty meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Mauro Vierain Brasília.

Vieira received Lavrov at the headquarters of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the war in ukraine and trade relations between Brazil there Russiaamong others.

Russian Foreign Minister “appreciated” Brazil’s efforts to try to resolve the conflict in Ukraineshortly before meeting in Brasilia President Lula, who seeks to mediate with countries like China for peace in the European nation.

In a brief statement to the press, Lavrov reiterated that Moscow wants the conflict in Ukraine to be “resolved as soon as possible”.

But “we have to solve it in a lasting way and not immediately,” he added.

“We are grateful to the Brazilian side (…) for its contribution to a solution to the conflict,” Lavrov also said.

Lavrov’s visit to the country comes at a time when the Russian invasion of Ukraine is approaching its 14th month with no signs of slowing down.

Upon receipt by Vieira, it is expected that Lavrov meet the president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who, in statements made over the weekend, considered that the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, Vladimir Poutine there Volodimir Zelensky“not taking the initiative” to achieve peace.

The Brazilian president advocated that a group of countries not involved in the war in Ukraine, including Chinamediator in negotiations to end the conflict.

This weekend, Brazil there China they issued a joint statement in which they agree that dialogue and negotiation are “the only possible way out of the ‘crisis’ in Ukraine”.

Brazil says it ‘sees positively’ China’s stance on conflict and that it seems “useful” to seek a peaceful solution, in reference to the position paper published by Beijing in February in which it calls for “a political solution” to the war, a proposal criticized by the West for putting it on the same foot plane “the aggressor and the attacked”.

On Sunday, after an official visit to United Arab EmiratesLula told reporters that the war was “a decision of two countries“, and recalled that UNITED STATES and the European Union they collaborate in prolonging the war by supplying arms to the Ukraine.

The President also proposed the creation of a “G20 of peace” promote negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and Europe to end the war.

Lavrov’s Latin American tour will continue until April 21 and will also include visits to Cuba, Venezuela there Nicaraguacountries in which it will promote cooperation in the political, commercial, economic and cultural fields.

Given the closeness between Brazil there Russiathere Association of Ukrainians from Portugal he intends to organize a demonstration and deliver a letter on April 25 to Lula during his visit to Lisbon rejecting the statements he made this weekend during his visits to Beijing and Abu Dhabi.

“It seems that Lula chose the side of the totalitarian regime, on the side of the aggressors,” he said today EFE the president of the association, Pavlo Sadokha.

In the letter they want to deliver to Lula da Silva, the Association of Ukrainians in Portugal, with the support of other Ukrainian communities in the European Union, defends that the Russian invasion “is not a military conflict between two neighboring countries which can be ended with a peace agreement” and defended that “there is no neutrality”.

“It is we who pay with lives, with the destruction of our country, global political interests that choose to negotiate with dictator Putin at the cost of the suffering of the countries that Russia invades. We do not want to see Brazil as an ally of Putin’s criminal regime, but his statements worry us,” the letter added.

“We face superior forces and we need international support. But it is already evident that this war has divided the world into two camps: those who defend order and freedom and those who place the interests of political force and power above the interests of human life. . In this situation, there is no neutrality”, closes the text.

Lula will travel to Lisbon between the next 21 and 25 days and, although his schedule has not yet been revealed, meetings are scheduled with the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de SousaPrime Minister, Socialist Antonio Costaand a bilateral summit to advance common issues.

(With information from Reuters)

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