Vice President Hamilton Mourão (Republicans) said this Thursday (21) that Brazil does not have a position of neutrality in the Ukrainian War and condemns the conflict. The topic resurfaced this week after President Volodymyr Zelensky directly criticized the stance of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who more than once said he remains neutral.
The two leaders spoke by phone for the first time on Monday (18), and Zelenski’s charge was made the following day, to TV Globo. “I don’t support his position. I don’t believe anyone can remain neutral when there is a war in the world,” said the Ukrainian. On Tuesday, Bolsonaro only claimed “to be on the side of peace”.
Mourão commented on the matter in an interview with the UN news agency in New York, where he traveled to participate in meetings of the Security Council, which this month has the presidency occupied by the Brazilian delegation – one of those who have assumed a rotating seat in the body.
“In reality, Brazil is not neutral [na guerra]. Brazil condemns the conflict. Now, we have interests with both Ukraine and Russia. It is a matter of pragmatism, of flexibility,” he said. “Brazil does not agree with the conflict, but it is an issue that has to be resolved through diplomatic channels.”
The position that Bolsonaro has expressed more than once, citing neutrality, is mainly linked to Russia’s high dependence on fertilizers. Despite these statements, in international forums such as the UN, Brazil has sometimes positioned itself critically of Moscow. The president, who this week spoke to Zelensky for the first time since the beginning of the war, had already met with Vladimir Putin days before Russia began its invasion of its neighbor and had at least one phone call with him.
Despite disagreeing with the statements about neutrality, Mourão echoed another position defended by the president and by Itamaraty, saying that the sanctions applied by the West “are not having the necessary effect”. According to him, the war “is causing so much damage to Ukraine and also to Russia”.
In the interview, he also talked about the electoral scenario in Brazil, using the expression “did me told” to address the increase in tensions in the pre-campaign. “It is obvious that it is a moment of polarization between President Bolsonaro and the opposition candidate, which is President Lula,” he said. “There are pressures from both sides, but my very clear vision is that we will arrive in October, in the month of the elections, without major confusion, and the one that the population elects will take office on January 1, without major problems.”
Amid a picture of an increase in cases of violence against political leaders, Bolsonaro has made a series of attacks on the electoral system, which include lies about the polls, criticism of TSE ministers and coup threats.
Before giving an interview to the UN agency, Mourão participated in Security Council meetings and defended the body’s decision, taken earlier this month, to extend the stay of troops in Haiti until July 2023. The Caribbean country saw a year ago new layers accumulate to a crisis that is already structural, with the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse and a massive earthquake.
The vice president focused his speech at the CS on the situation of women – the United Nations added the fight against sexual and gender-based violence as part of the mission in the country. According to Mourão, the deterioration of the human rights situation has led to an increase in this type of violence, mostly against women and girls.
Earlier, the vice president had met with the under-secretary-general for peace operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix. Today, Brazil participates in seven of the 12 UN peacekeeping operations, with 76 officers. Between 2004 and 2017, the country headed the mission in Haiti, with the involvement of more than 30,000 military personnel.
Mourão’s agenda in New York also included meetings with investors, in closed meetings on Wednesday (20) at Bank of America and at the Brazil-US Chamber of Commerce. He did not stop to speak to journalists at any time and at Sheet he said only that he sent “only positive messages” at meetings.
Mourão should not be part of Bolsonaro’s ticket in the October elections. He is a pre-candidate for the Senate in Rio Grande do Sul.
