While pushing through his first European visit since taking office in January, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was once more at conflict with Europe over Ukraine on Saturday.
After four years of near isolation under his far-right predecessor Jair Bolsonaro, the experienced left-winger is attempting to restore diplomatic relations for his country, although tensions with the West over Ukraine have been on show.
More than a year after the Russian invasion, Lula appealed once more for a “negotiated” settlement between Kiev and Moscow on Saturday.
The Brazilian president infuriated Ukraine by claiming that Kiev shares responsibility for the conflict and that it has not joined Western nations in putting sanctions on Moscow or giving Kyiv armaments.
“While my government condemns the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, we support a negotiated political solution to the conflict,” Lula told journalists after meeting Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Lisbon.
“We urgently need a group of countries to sit round a table with both Ukraine and Russia,” Lula said.
“Brazil does not want to take part in this war. Brazil wants to create peace.”
