Brazil: Lula's shift to dictators highlighted during Russian minister's visit

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov thanked Brazil on Monday for its efforts to resolve the "conflict" in Ukraine during his visit to Brasilia, where he met with the Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and other authorities.

Lavrov stressed that Moscow wants the "conflict" in Ukraine to be resolved as soon as possible and in a "lasting" way.

Lula da Silva is now pushing for negotiations to end the war and has proposed the creation of a group of countries, similar to the G20, to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, which would include China.

Lavrov accused Washington of "fostering" the war and stated that the United States and Europe "have to start talking about peace." Mauro Vieira, Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, upon welcoming Lavrov reaffirmed this position by pointing out that the unilateral economic sanctions imposed on Russia, bypassing the UN Security Council, harm developing nations.

Some in the United States and Europe have expressed concerns about Lula's anti-Western stances, suggesting that Lula da Silva is aligning himself with other Latin American dictators such as Nicolás Maduro, Miguel Díaz-Canel, and Daniel Ortega, who are fostering relationships with authoritarian regimes like Russia, China, and Iran.

From Brasilia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov seized the opportunity to point fingers at the United States for the conflict in Ukraine.

Brazil has not imposed sanctions on Russia for its invasion and has refused to supply Ukraine with weapons. Brazil and Russia are part of the emerging BRICS group of countries, along with India, China, and South Africa.

U.S. officials argue that the Brazilian president has been "parroting" Russian and Chinese propaganda about the war in Ukraine and has not even stopped to look at "the facts."

"It is deeply problematic how Brazil has addressed this issue both substantively and rhetorically by suggesting that the United States and Europe are somehow not interested in peace or that they share responsibility for war," said John Kirby, a White House spokesman.

"At that point, Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without paying any attention to the facts," he added.

Kirby took this position when asked about the latest statements by Lula, who last week visited China and the United Arab Emirates and, from Beijing, said that the United States should stop "encouraging" the war in Ukraine and "start talk about peace."

On Sunday, from Abu Dhabi, the Brazilian leader insisted on these criticisms, pointing to the United States, as well as the European Union, for "contributing" to the continuation of the war.

Kirby considered this Monday that this proposal is "wrong", and recalled that Brazil voted in favor of defending the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the UN General Assembly.

EFE contributed to this story.