Amid rising tension and the threat of conflict between Russia and Ukraine, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) confirmed that he will keep the trip to Moscow and said he asks God for “peace to reign in the world”.
The president gave an interview this Saturday morning (12) to the Tupi radio station, in Campos dos Goytacazes. The interviewer was the former governor of Rio Anthony Garotinho.
After the end of the interview – also broadcast on his social networks – Bolsonaro spoke briefly about next Monday’s trip. He said that Russia is important to Brazil for providing fertilizers.
“I was invited by President Putin. Brazil largely depends on fertilizers from Russia, Belarus [Belarus]. We will also bring a group of ministers to deal with other matters that are of interest to our countries, such as energy, defense and agriculture,” said the president.
“We ask God for peace to reign in the world for the good of all of us”, he concluded.
Bolsonaro leaves on Monday (14) for Moscow, despite calls for him to give up the trip. On Friday, tensions between Russia and Ukraine reached worrying levels, with Western countries urging their citizens to leave the region. The United States warns that a Russian invasion could occur “at any moment”.
The crisis was triggered after the Kremlin mobilized 100,000 to 175,000 troops in areas close to the borders with Ukraine. The US and allies of NATO, the western military alliance, accuse Putin of preparing an invasion of the neighboring country, as he did in 2014 when he annexed Crimea.
Moscow, for its part, rejects the expansion of NATO into territories close to Russia and wants the guarantee that Ukraine will never be part of the group.
Allies of the president and also the international community tried to deter Bolsonaro from making the trip. The United States pressured the Brazilian government, claiming that the trip conveys the message that Brazil supports the Kremlin’s actions in Eastern Europe.
On the eve of the trip, the Itamaraty released a note on Friday (11) celebrating Brazil’s diplomatic relations with Ukraine, which is experiencing a serious crisis with Moscow.
The text of 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.
