Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived today in the capital of Brazil, where he first met with his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, and during the day the two are expected to meet with the country's president, Luis Inacio da Silva, whose diplomatic approach to solving the war in Ukraine irritates both Kiev and the countries of the West.
Lavrov's meeting with Vieira was arranged in March in New Delhi, at a bilateral meeting within the framework of the summit of the Group of 20 leading economies. They spoke this morning in Brasilia, and according to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, both will meet with Lula in the afternoon local time.
Lula denies that his country is arming Ukraine and suggests that a group of countries, including Brazil and China, mediate to achieve peace in the country.
The President of Brazil told reporters yesterday in Abu Dhabi that two countries - including Russia and Ukraine - have decided to go to war, and the day before he said in Beijing that the US must stop "stimulating" the continuous fighting in Ukraine and start talking about peace .
Earlier this month, Lula proposed that Ukraine formally hand over Crimea to Russia to end the war, which Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko rejected.
"Would you offer someone a part of Brazil the size of Crimea just to make peace," was the reaction of former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt on Twitter.
Lula does not allow Brazil to send even ammunition to Ukraine, even at the request of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, because he believes that this would mean that Brazil is entering the war.
The attitude of the Brazilian president is appreciated in Moscow, and critics believe that Brazil is actually trying not to alienate Russia with its attitude, because it is a key supplier of fertilizer to Brazilian soybean planters, and soybeans are mainly exported to China.
China and Russia are permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, and Brazil has been seeking that status for decades.
After visiting Brazil, Lavrov is going to Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
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