Vice President Hamilton Mourão (PRTB) played down the impact of the crisis in Ukraine on President Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) planned visit to Moscow and said he believed Russia was “pressing” and “exercising the right to kick” against the advance. of NATO, the western military alliance, in eastern Europe.
“I don’t think [a crise] it will get worse from here to there [até a viagem de Bolsonaro, em meados de fevereiro]. I don’t think Russia is going to take an attitude of invading, Russia is putting pressure on. One of the ways to seek to intervene in a matter is to carry out a military maneuver. That’s what she’s doing”, said Mourão, this Monday morning (31), when he arrived at his office, in the Planalto Palace complex.
Asked if Bolsonaro’s trip would be seen as an endorsement of Russian pretensions, Mourão said that Brazil is far from the conflict. For the vice president, the country cannot give up commercial interests.
“It depends on the interpretation that each one will want to put on. We are far from this conflict; there are some pressures from other countries that are more involved. But let’s remember: Brazil is part of a group with Russia that is the BRICS [também formado por Índia, China e África do Sul], in addition to having a partnership. It’s an important country for us to do business, we can’t give it up there.”
On the same occasion, the deputy assessed that tensions in the region have been going on since 2014, when Russian leader Vladimir Putin annexed Crimea. “The reality is something that has been around for some time, since 2014. Russia considers that region of Eastern Europe a zone of influence. When there is an advance by NATO in that region, it has its right to kick,” he said. .
“In foreign policy, you have two visions, the idealist and the realist. I am always in favor of the realist – acting within our principles: non-intervention, ensuring the sovereignty of people in their territory, the peaceful solution of conflicts . Brazil will always work in this direction.”
The Bolsonaro government tries to balance between Russia and the United States in the current crisis. In contacts with American authorities, Itamaraty has highlighted that the country is guided by principles such as the peaceful solution of disputes, in addition to opposition to the use of force and the use of unilateral sanctions.
In the current scenario in Ukraine, Itamaraty maintains the defense of a 2015 UN Security Council resolution. The text, presented on the occasion by the Russian delegation, highlights that the crisis can only be resolved by peaceful means and mentions Ukraine’s territorial integrity – in Russian understanding, the reference would exclude the Crimea region.
In a recent demonstration on the subject, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that “Brazil maintains its stance of support for a mutually satisfactory solution under the terms of resolution 2202”. “[Ela] predicts that a solution to the crisis can only be achieved by peaceful means and depends on the implementation of various de-escalation measures provided for in the Minsk Accords.”
Bolsonaro’s trip to Russia has been planned since late last year, but it should take place amid escalating tensions between Moscow and NATO – with the United States at the forefront.
The situation in Eastern Europe worsened after Russia moved a contingent of 100,000 to 175,000 troops to regions close to the Ukrainian borders. The country denies the intention to invade its neighbor, but international warnings are frequent that this possibility is real. The US and UK have indicated they intend to adopt economic sanctions against Moscow if there is military action in Ukraine.
The Kremlin, for its part, rejects the expansion of NATO’s military alliance into territories close to the Russian border and wants assurance that Ukraine will never be part of the Western club.
Source: Folha
