Brazil condemns the invasion of Ukraine, but is against Russia’s isolation

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, said this Thursday (11) that Brazil condemns the “violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity” by Russia. According to the chancellor, the government is also against the “isolation of Russia in international forums”. The statement was made at a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (CRE). “With regard to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we have sought to maintain a balanced but above all constructive position. We condemn the violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity in the UN Security Council, as well as in the United Nations General Assembly. At the same time, we take a stand against attempts to isolate Russia in international forums, which reduce the space for dialogue and reduce the chances of a negotiated solution to the conflict,” he said. Yesterday (10), the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andrii Melnyk, stated that Brazil will be able to “play an important role in stopping Russian aggression and achieving a lasting and just peace”. Melnyk met, in Kiev, with the special advisor for International Affairs, Celso Amorim. Brazilian Chancellor during a public hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – Lula Marques/ Agência Brasil “We are not interested in taking sides, but in preserving channels of dialogue with everyone, the only way to effectively contribute to the construction of negotiation spaces that lead to the effective and sustainable peace”, argued Vieira. UN Security Council Senator Veneziano Vital do Rêgo (MDB-PB), referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine, defended a review of the model of composition of members and voting in the Security Council of the United Nations (UN) to prevent international conflicts like this one from dragging on and leaving negative consequences for local populations and the world. The permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, founded in 1945, are the five great powers that won the Second World War. (United States, United Kingdom, Russia, France and China). Minister Mauro Vieira agreed with the need to reform this international body to be more effective. “It is not possible that, 78 years after the creation of the organization, we still continue with the rules of 1945. The world is no longer the same. Today, there are 193 countries.” The chancellor listed nations that need to participate in world decisions on peace and security, in the UN Security Council, such as the large developing countries, and mentioned Brazil, India and Indonesia. He regretted that countries in the continent and in Africa and Latin America are not having seats in this international body. “There is a movement that does not belong to everyone, but to permanent members. They are always more reticent to any change that takes away or, at least, shares prestige and power with others”. For the minister, the Security Council needs to contemplate the geopolitical changes that have occurred since the end of the Second World War, when the forum was created. “We renew our commitment to promoting international reform, starting with the United Nations Security Council. The current international context marked by the worsening of geopolitical tensions and the dispute between powers requires more than ever a renewed and democratized international system, with greater representativeness, legitimacy and effectiveness”, he said. Brics The chancellor also declared that among Brazil’s priorities is the resumption of articulation with the Brics, an economic bloc made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. “We resume our full engagement with the Brics, an indispensable mechanism for a truly multipolar world. The next Brics summit, to be held next August, under the presidency of South Africa, will be an opportunity for us to renew our joint efforts in favor of global governance and the strengthening of multilateralism” Vieira highlighted the election of former president Dilma Rousseff in charge of the New Development Bank (NBD), known as Banco dos Brics. “This is synonymous with prestige, but certainly an opportunity to guide the institution’s credit granting agenda, which has ample capacity to finance structuring and development projects”, he argued. Public hearing During the public hearing in the Senate, Minister Mauro Vieira also took stock of the federal government’s international agenda, since January 2023. Among Brazil’s priorities are the recovery of regional integration, combating climate change, fighting hunger and food insecurity, support for Brazilians abroad, expansion of commercial exchange, among others. In the session of the Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defense of the Federal Senate, this Thursday, the Itamaraty diplomats who are candidates for eight posts in Brazilian embassies abroad will still be questioned by the senators. Matter updated at 13:30 to add information.

Agência Brasil