Brazil, China sign proposal normalizing Russian troops in Ukraine

Ukrainian artillerymen. Photo: Drop of Light/Shutterstock

Brazil and China on Thursday signed a proposal for a “political settlement” of the Russia-Ukraine war. The text was published by Chinese news website Xinhua before any official comment by the Brazilian government.

Celso Amorim, chief foreign policy advisor to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, met in Beijing with the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, where they “exchanged their views on the Ukraine crisis,” according to Chinese media.

According to the proposal, “China and Brazil support an international peace conference held at a proper time that is recognized by both Russia and Ukraine.”

Lula has reportedly decided not to attend the upcoming Summit on Peace in Ukraine to be held in Switzerland in June, although Brazil will still participate. Russia was not invited.

Unlike previous United Nations resolutions supported by Brazil, the new proposal does not call for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. The text calls for “no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no provocation by any party,” effectively normalizing the presence of Russian troops in Ukraine.

As The Brazilian Report has shown, Lula’s position on the war has earned him public compliments from Russia and criticism from Ukraine.

Back in May 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had told Mr. Amorim that “the only plan capable of stopping Russian aggression in Ukraine is the Ukrainian Peace Formula.” The “formula,” a ten-point plan, includes the withdrawal of Russian troops. During a press conference in Brussels, Lula slipped on this issue, saying “the withdrawal is part of the peace agreement,” but later backtracked.

The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank, has written that Russian statements expressing a willingness to negotiate are “part of an ongoing information operation intending to weaken Western willingness to aid Ukraine.”

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry directed The Brazilian Report to the presidential office for a request for comment. The presidential office has not yet replied.