President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that Brazil condemns Russia for invading Ukraine and that it wants a “third way” instead of choosing a side. “My country took the decision a long time ago to condemn Russia for the occupation and for injuring Ukraine’s territorial integrity. We voted at the United Nations (UN) criticizing the invasion. However, we are not in favor of war. We want peace and peace. Brazil tries to find people and countries that want peace,” Lula said at a press conference, alongside the president of Portugal, Marcelo Rabelo, citing conversations with the presidents of France, the United States, China and the Council of the European Union.
Lula said that Brazil does not want to participate in a war and wants to find a group of people to make peace. “Brazil wants to find a way to restore peace between Russia and Ukraine. In the case of war, Russia does not want to stop and Ukraine does not want to stop. Well, we have to find countries that, in a relationship of trust, want to sit down and talk and stop the war I think we can find a solution to this war in Ukraine and I am sure it will be infinitely better for the world”, he continued by defending a political and negotiated solution to the war, with external dialogue. “It’s better to find an exit around a table than to keep looking for an exit on the battlefield.”
Lula once again defended a “third way” regarding the war and stated that he will not go to Ukraine, just as he did not go to Russia. “I will only go when there is a possibility of effectively having a peacebuilding climate. I never equated the two countries because I know what invasion is and I know what territorial integrity is. We all think that Russia made a mistake and we have already condemned it in all UN resolutions , but I think that now it is necessary to stop the war. We are in a situation where the war is harming the world due to the problem of fertilizer, of food. Instead of choosing a side, I want a third way”, said the Brazilian president, emphasizing that Brazil is “disposed” to build this bridge. Lula also said that his “war now” is for the 33 million people who suffer from hunger in Brazil. “My war is to fight hunger in Brazil and at the same time seek to build a way for the world to live in peace,” he continued.
This is Lula’s first official trip to Europe after having accused the United States and Europe this week of contributing to the continuation of the war in Ukraine. Questioned about the statement, Lula said that “if you don’t talk about peace, you contribute to war.” The president told about the EU’s request for Brazil to sell missiles to Ukraine and said that if he had done so, the country would be at war. “Brazil does not want war. Brazil wants peace”, he pointed out.
The president of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo, a country that is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), said that the Portuguese position is different in relation to Ukraine, for not only condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and for understanding that the path of peace is to allow Ukraine to defend itself and recover its territory. “Portugal is in solidarity with the Ukrainian people, NATO and the European Union and thinks that it is not a fair situation not to allow Ukraine to defend itself and try to recover territory that was invaded in violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State”, he said.
Regarding the role of Brazil and Portugal in the conflict, Rebelo stated that both seek bridges of understanding and that they “always voted for the same side” in UN resolutions. “We are looking for bridges of understanding. It is up to the authorities of each country to develop what they consider a priority for each country. For Portugal, a country that is a NATO ally, the line is one of support for Ukraine”, observed Rebelo.
