Lavrov thanks Brazil for “contribution” to peace in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday thanked Brazil for what he called its “contribution” to solving the war in Ukraine. His remarks came during a trip to Brasília — which will be followed by visits to Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua.

“With regard to the processes taking place in Ukraine, we are grateful to the Brazilian side,” Mr. Lavrov said in a statement to the press at the Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry. “We are grateful for their contribution to the solution of this conflict, this problem.”

Standing beside his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira, Mr. Lavrov added: “We need to solve it [the war] in a lasting way and not in an immediate way.”

“We spoke a lot on relevant issues of [the] international and regional agenda. Stating that Russia’s and Brazil’s approaches to issues currently taking place in the world are similar. The two countries are united by a desire to contribute to a more democratic, more multipolar world order, based on fundamental legal principles of sovereignty and equality of states,” he added.

Prior to the 2022 presidential election, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva sparked strong reactions worldwide by telling Time magazine that Ukraine, the U.S., and the European Union were also to blame for the Russian invasion. He has backpedaled to some extent since, calling the invasion a...