The US government said it hoped that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) had used his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin to “reinforce the values of the international order” they share with the US.
The two leaders met this Wednesday (16) in Moscow, amid the crisis that opposes the Russians to the West involving Ukraine. Before lunch, a closed meeting and short speeches, Bolsonaro said he was “in solidarity with Russia” in the opening words of the meeting – without specifying in what aspect he expressed solidarity.
“We have a responsibility to stand up for the values we share. And at the heart of those values are the principles of the international order. An order that, for more than seven decades, has fostered unprecedented levels of prosperity, security and stability in Europe, [oceano] Pacific and in our hemisphere,” said Ned Price, a State Department spokesman, following a question from the sheet in a press conference.
“So, it is our hope that President Bolsonaro has taken the opportunity to reinforce, in the meeting with President Putin, the messages about the values we share.”
The spokesperson did not respond to whether relations between Brazil and the US could be affected in the future if the Brazilian leader has not expressed these messages. Price also did not comment on Bolsonaro’s declaration of solidarity with the Russians.
Before Price’s speech, in a conversation with journalists in Moscow, Bolsonaro downplayed the question of the timing of his visit and said what he had said before, that he only supports governments that want peace. He again said that “all countries have problems”.
“Some countries thought that we should not come. We kept our agenda, coincidentally or not, part of the troops left the border”, said the president. “My reading of President Putin is that he is also a person who seeks peace.”
Asked if he had sent any message to Ukraine, Bolsonaro left the improvised pulpit and tried to interrupt the interview. He returned, also responding that he had done “everything that had been agreed” in terms of RT-PCR tests to detect the novel coronavirus.
At the press conference, Price said there were indications that Russia had been sending even more troops to the Ukrainian border rather than withdrawing troops. And that the risk of a Russian invasion remains present.
“Our analysis is that the invasion could start at any moment. We’ve been saying this for some time. We’re not going to have a precise timeframe, but the fact remains, that Russia is in position and has what it needs to carry out an attack.” said the spokesperson.
Ukraine and Russia have been in a crisis for weeks, 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. Putin denies any intention of promoting a military invasion.
Before Bolsonaro’s trip, there was pressure from the US for the Brazilian leader’s trip to Moscow to be postponed. American diplomats expressed concern about the timing of the visit, as Putin’s reception of Bolsonaro would send the message that Brazil supports the Kremlin’s actions in Eastern Europe, lending legitimacy to what the US considers a violation of international law.
