Three days before the trip of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to Russia, the Itamaraty released a note this Friday (11) celebrating Brazil’s diplomatic relations with Ukraine, which is experiencing a serious crisis with Moscow under the imminence of an invasion. russian.
The note from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs speaks of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations with Kiev, when mutual embassies were opened in the two countries. “Since the Brazilian government recognized Ukrainian independence in December 1991, Brazil and Ukraine have maintained multiple high-level contacts between their representatives,” the text reads.
Itamaraty also mentions a strategic partnership established between the two countries in 2009 in the space, defense and health sectors, and adds that bilateral trade practically tripled in 2021, compared to the initial period of diplomatic relations, in the 1990s. .
“Brazil celebrates the valuable contribution of the community of Ukrainians and their descendants in our country — estimated at 500,000 people — to national development. Famous names, such as the Ukrainian-born writer Clarice Lispector, marked the cultural formation of the Brazilian people” , the text continues.
Bolsonaro’s visit to Russia is scheduled to begin on Monday (14).
In an interview with leaf this Thursday (10th), Melvyn Levitsky, former US ambassador to Brazil (1994-1998) and who also worked at the US embassy in Moscow, criticized the visit, saying that “it sends the wrong signal to the world.”
The United States has been pressuring the Bolsonaro government to cancel the trip, in yet another move to try to isolate Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
American diplomats expressed concern about the timing of the visit. In the White House’s assessment, Putin’s reception of Bolsonaro would send the message that Brazil supports the Kremlin’s actions in Eastern Europe, lending legitimacy to something the US considers a violation of international law.
Since November, Putin has decided to wall up the West and has presented an ultimatum to crystallize his strategic vision of having the former surroundings of the Soviet Union neutral or ally.
The Kremlin, which has deployed more than 100,000 troops to regions close to the neighboring country, fears that Kiev will join NATO, the western military alliance, which would increase the influence of the United States and European countries on Russia’s gates. Currently, the organization is already home to the Baltic States (Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia), former republics of the Soviet Union, something Putin would also like to see reversed.
In December, when he accepted Putin’s invitation to make the visit, Bolsonaro said he felt honored and that the trip would bring opportunities for the Brazilian economy.
The president will take in his entourage the summit of the Secretary of Culture. The secretariat is headed by actor Mário Frias, one of the most radical supporters of the president.
Other fervent bolsonaristas who surround the secretary should also participate in the trip, such as André Porciuncula (secretary of development), Felipe Cruz Pedri (secretary of Audiovisual), Raphael Azevedo (chief of staff) and Hélio Ferraz (deputy secretary). The authorization for removal from February 13 to 23 for all of them has already been published in the Official Gazette, signed by Minister Gilson Machado, of Tourism.
