President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said this Sunday night (21), in a statement to the press, after participating in the G7 Summit, in Japan, that he maintains his position on the war in Ukraine. The military conflict in the European country, invaded by Russia, was one of the central themes of the meeting, which included the participation of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky. “I listened carefully to Zelensky’s speech at the meeting. He certainly listened to my speech attentively at the meeting. And I continue with the same position as before. I am trying with India, China, Indonesia and other countries to build a bloc for the policy of peace in the world”, said the president to journalists, still in Hiroshima, before flying back to Brazil. “The world does not need war, the world needs peace, tranquility, for the world to grow again and distribute wealth to those who are hungry in the world”, he added. Questioned a lot on the subject at the press conference, the president replied that he did not go to the G7 meeting to discuss the war. He stated that he went to discuss the economy and climate issues, and that there is a specific forum, the United Nations (UN), to resolve the conflict between Russians and Ukrainians. “I said in my speech that the discussion of the war should be taking place at the UN. I have been president for five months and I have never been invited to a meeting at the UN to discuss the war. It is at the UN that you have to have [o debate]”, he said. He then provoked the entity’s Security Council. “Why doesn’t the Security Council discuss? Because those who get involved in the fight are members. So, there is no one to discuss peace, because everyone is involved. It’s the council members who sell weapons, it’s the council members who make war. It is necessary to change the logic of functioning of the United Nations”. Earlier, the Brazilian government itself had informed that the organization of the bilateral meeting between Lula and Zelensky was not possible due to difficulties in reconciling the agendas of the two world leaders. The Brazilian government suggested more than one time, but there was no agreement. “The fact is very simple. There was a bilateral meeting with Ukraine, here in this room, at 3:15 pm [de domingo]. We waited and received the information that they had been delayed. Meanwhile, I attended to the president of Vietnam, and when the president of Vietnam left, Ukraine did not appear. He certainly had other appointments, he couldn’t come here. That’s just what happened,” he explained. In an interview, the Ukrainian president confirmed the difficulty. “I found all the leaders. Almost all. Everyone has their own agendas. I think that’s why we couldn’t meet the president of Brazil.” Asked if he was disappointed that he couldn’t hold that meeting, Zelensky replied: “I think he was disappointed.” Summit The G7 brings together leaders from the seven most industrialized countries in the world: Germany, Canada, United States, France, Italy, Japan and United Kingdom. Until 2014, Russia was part of the group, which was known as the G8. She, however, was expelled due to the annexation of Crimea, until then linked to Ukraine. G7 summits are usually attended by invited countries. In this edition, Brazil is the only South American representative. Australia, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, Comoros and Cook Islands were also invited. The Brazilian government was informed by the Japanese a few weeks ago that Zelensky’s trip to Hiroshima was a possibility. The Ukrainian president took the opportunity to seek more support in the war against Russia. The organization of a bilateral meeting between Brazil and Ukraine was initially a request from the European country. Neutrality Brazil is one of the countries, like India and China, which has been publicly proclaiming a position of neutrality in the war between Ukraine and Russia. For this reason, European countries and the United States, which support the Ukrainians in the conflict, put pressure on Lula and Zelensky to meet. Although he has not personally spoken with the Brazilian president, Zelensky has had a meeting with the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi. During the press conference, Lula was asked about the format of this collective of countries that want to act for peace in Ukraine, and the Brazilian president spoke of the need for an immediate ceasefire. “It is only possible to discuss peace when Zelensky and Putin want to discuss peace. It is not possible to build a proposal in war. What we want is that, first, stop the war, stop the attacks and we will try to dialogue to build a way out between Ukraine and Russia”. Also according to the president, at the moment, there is no interest on the part of the parties in talking about peace. And for there to be a negotiation, both sides will have to give in to some extent. “Celso Amorim [assessor internacional da Presidência] it was there in Russia and then in Ukraine. And Amorim said that, for now, they don’t want to talk about peace. If one has a proposal, it is the surrender of the other, if the other has a proposal, it is the surrender of the first. And no one will surrender. Trading is not income. And there will be a moment when they will want a negotiation”.
Agência Brasil
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