Dutch conservative Prime Minister Mark Rutte discussed the war in Ukraine with Brazil’s center-left President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday, with the two leaders focusing on completely different priorities after the meeting.

Mr. Rutte insisted that no concessions should be made that would harm Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Lula, for his part, reiterated that peace talks should be held as soon as possible, while in the recent past he has called for concessions from both sides.

The Dutch prime minister put forward the European position on the need to support Ukraine in its bid to defend itself after the Russian attack in February 2022.

“The Netherlands will support Ukraine as long as necessary,” he reiterated during a press conference after the meeting.

For his part, the Brazilian president noted that Celsu Amorim, his adviser on foreign policy issues, who visited Moscow and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, arrived in Kiev yesterday to discuss with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr. Amorim has a mission “to find out what Zelensky wants. He already knows what Putin wants,” he explained. “Now is the time for diplomacy, not war,” insisted Lula, who is proposing mediation by a group of states not involved in the conflict.

Mr Rutte made a three-day official visit to Brazil from Monday, accompanied by a delegation of businessmen, for talks focused on trade, cooperation on sustainable agriculture, as well as the energy transition, with a focus on hydrogen. He praised the Brazilian government’s efforts to prevent climate change.