Lula and Putin talk over the phone

Photo: Danilo Verpa/Folhapress

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday underlined his position in support of negotiations on the Russian-Ukraine war involving both sides of the conflict during a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to a statement by the Brazilian government.

The position echoes a similar proposal for a “political settlement” signed by both Brazil and China last month. Unlike previous United Nations resolutions supported by Brazil, the proposal does not call for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.

Lula has reportedly decided not to attend the upcoming Summit on Peace in Ukraine to be held in Switzerland this weekend on June 15 and 16, although Brazil will still send a representative. Switzerland has said Russia was not invited because it demonstrated no interest in attending.

The White House has confirmed that Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the summit.

The statement also suggests that the Brazilian government is still considering inviting Mr. Putin to the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro later this year, despite opposition from fellow G20 leaders and the International Criminal Court arrest warrant for the Russian president for his alleged responsibility for the war crimes of unlawful deportation and transfer of children from the occupied territories of Ukraine to Russia.

“President Lula also reinforced the need for a broad reform of the global governance system, to be debated within the scope of the G20,” the note says.

The Kremlin said in a separate statement that Lula “expressed his willingness to contribute to identifying ways to provide a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict, which is set forth in the well-known Brazil and China’s joint initiative.”

Back in March, French President Emmanuel Macron said during a visit to Brazil that the G20 must agree before Mr. Putin is invited. He added that it would be “a job for Brazilian diplomacy” to reach such a consensus.

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

The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), 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.”