Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and again called for mediation to end the war.
Speaking at a lunch with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Lula said a group of neutral nations must come together to help broker peace between Russia and Ukraine.
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His comments came after he set off a storm among Western allies by stating over the weekend that they were prolonging the fighting by supplying arms to Ukraine.
A White House spokesperson accused Lula of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts.” And on Tuesday, the White House said Lula’s “tone was not one of neutrality.”
In Washington, a person familiar with the matter said U.S. officials have privately made clear the Biden administration’s displeasure to Brazilian counterparts about Lula’s criticism of the arming of Ukraine.
Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, had spoken with his Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim, who joined the war of words, calling the U.S. criticism “absurd” and insisting that Brazil did not share Russia’s position.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited Lula in Brasilia on Monday and thanked him for his peace efforts, remarking that Brazil and Russia shared views on the year-old conflict in Ukraine.
Editor: Oloyede Oworu
