Zelensky’s chief of staff calls Lula’s aide

The head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andriy Yermak, spoke with the special advisor for International Affairs of the Presidency, Celso Amorim, about the importance of Brazil’s participation in a summit for peace, which would be promoted by the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenski, and could occur in July. Yermak called Amorim on Tuesday (13). In a post on Twitter, Zelensky’s chief of staff wrote that the destruction of the New Kakhovka dam “proves the extreme relevance of the Ukrainian peace formula”. Ukraine accuses Russia of blowing up the dam. It supplies water to Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and to cool the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. “I spoke about preparing for the Global Peace Summit, in which Ukraine seeks to engage the world community to implement President Volodymyr Zelensky’s peace formula. Brazil’s expertise in environmental protection is extremely valuable to us,” he wrote. According to information released by Folha de São Paulo newspaper and confirmed by Agência Brasil, according to the Brazilian government, Yermak’s phone call to Amorim was “very positive” and helps to ease relations between Brazil and Ukraine. At the G7 summit (group of the seven most industrialized countries in the world) in Japan, at the end of May, there were disagreements in the agendas of president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Ukrainian president. Furthermore, some of Lula’s statements were seen as leaning towards Russian President Vladimir Putin. On a trip to China, in April, Lula stated that the United States and the European Union are encouraging war by supplying arms to Ukraine. Between April and May of this year, Celso Amorim was also in Moscow, the Russian capital, and Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, in dialogue with the presidents of both countries to learn their demands for a peace agreement. Since the beginning of his term, President Lula has expressed his intention to bring together a group of neutral countries to negotiate an end to the conflict. The Brazilian president maintains his position on the war in Ukraine, condemning Russia’s territorial invasion of the country. At the G7, after Amorim’s first negotiations, Lula stated that, at this moment, there is no interest on the part of the parties in giving in to some extent and talking about peace. Summit for peace There is still no date for the summit to be held, to be promoted by Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukraine has been proposing this meeting for several months, but so far it has not materialized because it will not include Russia and is aimed at attracting countries other than the allies. Kiev’s intention is for the event to be part of a negotiation process. Last year, Zelensky proposed a 10-point peace plan, which calls on Russia to withdraw all its troops from Ukraine. While allied countries have endorsed the plan, it is also vital for them to attract countries that have not distanced themselves from Russia or sat on the fence. Some leaders, from China to the African Union, as well as Brazil, are launching their own diplomatic efforts. *With information from Reuters

Agência Brasil