Jair BolsonaroPresident of Brazil, refused this Sunday to condemn the invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin, while departing from the official position of his Government in the United Nations and saying that Brazil would remain neutral, largely for fear of losing their main supply of fertilizer.
As reported by Reuters, the far-right leader recently snubbed a US request not to visit Putin in Moscow ahead of the invasion, angering Western allies by saying he was “in solidarity with Russia,” without elaborating.
On Friday, Brazil voted in favor of a UN Security Council draft resolution that would have condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite Bolsonaro’s reluctance. Russia vetoed the resolution.
In a press conference, the Brazilian president indicated that he spoke for two hours with Putin. In a subsequent statement, the country’s foreign ministry said Bolsonaro did not speak to Putin on Sunday, but was referring to his conversation with the Russian leader in Moscow. After that, he announced that Brazil will remain neutral in the conflict, noting that Russia and Ukraine were “practically sister nations.”
“We will not take sides, we will remain neutral, and we will help with whatever is possible,” Bolsonaro said. “A large part of the population of Ukraine speaks Russian,” he continued.
Brazil and Russia, united by fertilizers
Asked by a reporter if he was prepared to condemn Putin’s actions, he said he would wait for a final report, or to see how the situation is resolved, before giving his opinion.
He added that he was against any sanctions that could have negative repercussions for Brazil, citing Russian fertilizers that are crucial for the country’s gigantic agribusiness sector. Bolsonaro also indicated that he did not believe that Putin’s forces would carry out a huge massacre in Ukraine.
“A head of state like Russia’s does not want to go on a massacre, anywhere,” he said, adding that in two regions of southern Ukraine, about 90% of the population wanted to “get closer to Russia.”
Referring to Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Bolsonaro said that Ukrainians have “placed the hope of their nation in the hands of a comedian.”
Source: Larepublica
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