Russian President Vladimir Putin told Sheet who maintains good relations with both Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the two candidates in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election.
According to him, his priority in Latin America is to continue like this, whoever wins in the second round this Sunday (30).
The statements were made at the closing session of the 19th annual meeting of Clube Valdai, a discussion group linked to the Kremlin, which promotes meetings between Russian academics, businessmen and politicians with international analysts – Brazil was represented by Sheet.
“We know they [os rivais] have consensus in their relationship with Russia, despite difficult situations within the country. We do not interfere in internal political processes,” Putin said. “It is our most important partner in the region, and it will remain so. We will do everything to make these relationships develop further.”
THE Sheet had asked about the expectation of his relationship with Lula and Bolsonaro, in the context of who would win the election and considering the alleged position of Brazilian neutrality in the Ukraine War under Bolsonaro.
During conversations with members of the Russian elite over five days at the event in Rogozinino (50 km from Moscow) and in the Russian capital, the report was able to capture an assessment of the Kremlin’s real position on the Brazilian election. Bolsonaro is the favorite there.
Not that Brazil’s good relationship with Russia in the PT’s years in power (2003-16) is not remembered, but it is that the current president is evaluated as more maneuverable and influential. Lula, with his greater international experience and notorious pragmatism, would tend to act more independently.
This image replaces the distrust of someone who said he was aligned with American interests and against China at the beginning of his term, even if the connection was with Donald Trump – the Republican was closer to the Kremlin than his predecessors and the Democratic successor.
Everything changed on the trip made by Bolsonaro the week before the invasion of Ukraine, in February. There, agreements were drawn up to maintain the flow of fertilizers (almost 30% of the Brazilian market is Russian) to the country and a delicate negotiation of nuclear fuel certification for a future submarine powered by a Brazilian-type reactor began.
The “solidarity” given by Bolsonaro to Putin, at a time of great international isolation, is also remembered in the conversations. The stance that followed, with a critical neutrality that led to both a vote against the UN invasion and criticism of the Western sanctions regime on Moscow, has already been praised by Russian officials.
Be that as it may, an eventual victory for Lula is not displeasing: the PT has already criticized the Ukrainian Volodymir Zelensky and suggested that he will continue the equidistant position, despite pressure from the United States – besides, it is in the Brazilian diplomatic tradition to defend negotiations for conflict resolution.
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