Brazil drafts statement on Russian invasion of Ukraine

Sources tell The Brazilian Report that President Jair Bolsonaro is meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos França, as the Brazilian government prepares a statement on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Diplomats are drafting a condemnation of Moscow, but the final decision will be made by President Bolsonaro.

Neither the government nor President Bolsonaro have made public statements about the invasion, drawing criticism from lawmakers across the political spectrum. Congressman Rubens Bueno, the deputy chair of the House’s Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the country to take a stance. “History shows that leaving actions like these unanswered can have catastrophic consequences,” he said.

The last word from the Foreign Affairs Ministry on the Russia-Ukraine crisis came at 10:30 am yesterday — in which the country argued for a negotiated solution based on the 2014 Minsk agreements (which Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday “no longer exist”). Last week, Mr. Bolsonaro met with Mr. Putin and expressed “solidarity” with Russia, without specifying what he meant by that.

Other political actors in Brazil and Latin America have talked about the invasion. Former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s presidential frontrunner, said it is “regrettable that countries still settle their differences with guns, bombs, and attacks.” 

Governments in Argentina and Colombia have condemned the attacks. Diosdado Cabello, one of Venezuela’s most influential politicians, justified the invasion as “Russia protecting its territory.”

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