President of Argentina was in Russia with ‘zero trauma’, says Mourão before Bolsonaro went to Moscow

The Vice President of the Republic, Hamilton Mourão (PRTB), reiterated this Monday (14) that the trip of President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to Russia should not cause problems for Brazil.

“Last week, the president of Argentina [Alberto Fernández] was there [na Rússia]zero trauma,” Mourão told reporters.

Bolsonaro leaves at 6 pm from Brasília to Moscow, at a time of crisis that has settled in Ukraine, with the fear of a Russian invasion. He will meet with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (16).

Mourão said that the tension in the region is “the result of pressure from both sides”. “In my opinion, it will stay in this pressure game. The president’s trip is one day, without major problems”, he said.

The president of Argentina met with Putin on the 3rd. On Saturday (12th), Bolsonaro confirmed that the trip was maintained and said that he asked God for “peace to reign in the world”.

“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.

Bolsonaro’s allies and also the international community tried to dissuade the president 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, Itamaraty released a note this Friday celebrating Brazil’s diplomatic relations with Ukraine, which is experiencing a serious crisis with Moscow.

The US and allies of NATO, the Western military alliance, accuse Putin of preparing an invasion of Ukraine, 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.

Mourão also said this Monday that he is negotiating membership of the PP or the Republicans. He plans to run for a Rio Grande do Sul seat in the Senate. The announcement, according to the vice president, should be made soon.