Hours before embarking on a trip to Russia amid the crisis due to the fear of invasion of Ukraine, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) said that Brazil is a sovereign country and that it has trade and defense matters to deal with during the trip.
“We have issues to discuss about defense, energy, a lot to discuss. And Brazil is a sovereign country. Let’s hope for peace there, that everything works out”, said the president this Monday (14) to supporters in front of the Dawn Palace.
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.
“The whole world has its problems. If you start wanting to solve other people’s problems, we… If possible, [se] My word there, of peace, is to help, that’s okay”, the president also said. The statements were released by a Bolsonarista page on YouTube.
Bolsonaro leaves at 18:00 from BrasÃlia to Moscow. He will meet with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (16).
“We are aware of the difficult moment that exists in that region, we have business with them, commercial ones, our agribusiness largely depends on their fertilizers”, declared Bolsonaro.
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.
On the eve of the trip, the Itamaraty released a note on Friday celebrating Brazil’s diplomatic relations with Ukraine. “We want peace, but we have to understand that everyone is a human being. Let’s hope it works out. [Se] depending on my word, the world would have peace,” Bolsonaro said.
The trip to Russia will be the most controversial and risky of his tenure so far, with a short stint in the center of Europe’s biggest security crisis in a decade.
After the meeting with Putin, Bolsonaro visits the Duma (Lower House of Parliament) and a forum for Brazilian and Russian businessmen. Accompanying the president on the trip are Chancellor Carlos França, Walter Braga Netto (Defense) and Luiz Eduardo Ramos (Government Secretary).
The vice president of the Republic, Hamilton Mourão (PRTB), once again stated this Monday (14) that the trip should not cause problems for Brazil. “Last week, the president of Argentina [Alberto Fernández] was there [na Rússia]zero trauma,” Mourão told reporters.
Mourão suggested 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.
