Brazil seeks UN Security Council reform as Bolsonaro heads to Russia

As far as timing goes for diplomatic visits, Jair Bolsonaro’s trip to Moscow couldn’t have come at a worse moment. Tensions at the Russia-Ukraine border remain, even after the Russian Defense Ministry declared on Monday that many troops are returning to their bases. On the same day, the U.S. relocated its Kyiv Embassy to western Ukraine, believing the threat of war has not yet passed.

In Brazil, Mr. Bolsonaro’s Russia visit has been overwhelmingly dismissed as a last-ditch attempt for him to show that not all major powers have ostracized him diplomatically, or as a display of strength alongside a powerful world leader such as Vladimir Putin. But there is more to the trip than meets the eye.

Unlike traditional Western allies, Russia has been a rare supporter of Brazil’s bid to expand the number of permanent seats on the UN Security Council — where Brazil has recently started a two-year term as a non-permanent member.

The Brazilian government wants to use Mr. Bolsonaro’s meeting with Mr. Putin to step up efforts to bring Security Council reform talks to the foreground of the international agenda along with Germany, India, and Japan — the other nations who share that goal with Brazil and together form the so-called ‘G4.’

Getting the sixth permanent seat...