President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) said this Friday (22) that, in the telephone conversation he had with Volodymir Zelensky, on Monday (18), the Ukrainian leader spoke in an emotional tone and vented.
Afterwards, he said that he maintained the “statesmanship” and that “there is no demand” between heads of state, reinforcing the position that he defines as Brazil’s neutrality in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“There is no charge between me and a head of state. Brazil is independent, he is also independent. So there is no charge,” Bolsonaro told reporters at a gas station in Brasília.
The president also highlighted that Brazil will not adhere to the sanctions that other countries have imposed on Russia, which was made clear by stating that it is not doing “what it [Zelenski] wants.” “We remain in balance. and nato [aliança militar do Ocidente] is the right place to resolve this conflict there.”
In an interview with TV Globo, shown after the conversation with Bolsonaro, Zelenski was incisive in his criticism of Brazil, saying he did not believe “that anyone can remain neutral when there is a war in the world”.
“Let’s think about World War II. Many leaders were neutral at the beginning of it,” said the Ukrainian president. “This allowed the fascists to swallow half of Europe and expand further and further. This happened because of neutrality. No one can stand in the way.”
If, on the one hand, Bolsonaro claims to keep Brazil neutral in the war, he often highlights his relationship with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. The justification for this position is the importation of fertilizers, since the Russians are one of the main suppliers of the input to Brazilian agribusiness.
“If I wasn’t in a balanced position, do you think we would have fertilizers in Brazil?”, the president asked journalists. “I repeat, our contact with President Putin is ten, excellent. [As relações com os] USA there almost returned to normality. Brazil is wanted all over the world.”
Bolsonaro traveled to Moscow in February, days before the start of the war, despite advice from allies not to go. Afterwards, the government placed the reports on the trip under five-year secrecy.
The idea of going to Russia at a time when troops were being mobilized on the border with Ukraine was poorly received by partners, such as the United States, who tried to get the Brazilian government to withdraw from the trip on the grounds that the gesture would represent support. to Putin’s actions. Already after meeting with the Russian leader, Bolsonaro was again the target of criticism for saying he was “in solidarity with Russia” during the meeting – he did not explain what he was referring to when expressing such a feeling.
On more than one occasion since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Bolsonaro has said he is neutral in the conflict, even though Brazil has been critical of Moscow in international forums: the country has condemned the Kremlin’s actions in General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. , both United Nations bodies, but abstained in a vote that suspended Russia from the Human Rights Council.
