In an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the risk of war in Ukraine, Brazil asked for the withdrawal of military personnel from the region, but avoided criticism of Russia.
The collegiate met on Monday night in New York, hours after President Vladimir Putin recognized the rebels in eastern Ukraine’s Lugansk and Donetsk provinces and sent troops in support of the separatists. Putin announced the decision in a sternly televised speech, in which he said the neighbor had “never been a true state” and is now a “puppet colony” of the US.
“We renew our appeal for all parties involved to maintain dialogue”, defended Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho, who heads Brazil’s mission at the UN. “An inescapable first objective is an immediate ceasefire, with a demobilization of troops and military equipment on the ground. This military demobilization will be an important step towards building trust between the parties, strengthening diplomacy and seeking a sustainable solution to the crisis.”
Costa Filho did not quote Putin in his speech.
The Brazilian representative also defended international law and stressed the importance of principles such as the territorial integrity of UN member countries — something that Russia threatens to violate if it invades. He concluded by citing concern for victims of a possible war. “At the end of the day, we are talking about the lives of innocent men, women and children on the ground.” See the full text at the end of the report.
Other diplomats who spoke before Costa Filho, representing Albania, France, the US and India, were more incisive. They also asked for talks to be resumed, but warned that the case could also generate instability in other parts of the world and questioned the Russian leader’s speech.
“In essence, Putin wants the world to go back in time, to the time when empires ruled the world. This is not 1919, but 2022,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Representative.
China, on the other hand, sought a more neutral position and also did not directly criticize Russia. “The current situation in Ukraine is the result of many complex factors. China always takes its own position of agreements on the merits of the issue itself. We believe that all countries should resolve international disputes by peaceful means,” said Representative Zhang Jun.
The emergency meeting began around 9:10 pm on Monday (11:10 pm in BrasÃlia) and lasted about an hour and a half, without any decision being announced. The meeting served for the exchange of information and for the countries to express their positions.
As Ukraine is not currently part of the Security Council, the country needed some of the collegiate members to convene a meeting on the subject. Brazil, which occupies one of the rotating seats, supported the Ukrainian election.
Russia is a permanent member of the Council and, as such, has veto power to bar resolutions. Thus, it is able to contain measures that harm it. The SC can apply international sanctions and order the deployment of peacekeepers, among other functions. Currently, Russia is also the chairman of the collegiate — the position rotates and changes every month.
Nebenzia Alekseevich, the Russian representative who chaired the session, also spoke on behalf of her country. He defended Putin’s decision and launched attacks on Ukraine, accusing the country of not respecting ethnic Russians living in the breakaway areas and failing to negotiate with representatives from those regions. “We have just heard a lot of highly emotional speeches, categorical assessments and distant conclusions. (…) It is now important to focus on how to avoid war and how to force Ukraine to stop provocations against Donetsk and Lugansk,” Alekseevich said.
Then, Ukraine’s representative asked Russia to back off from Monday’s gestures and resume negotiations. At the same time, it reaffirmed the country’s right to defend itself. “We are in our land. We are not afraid of anything or anyone. We owe nothing to anyone and we will not give anything to anyone,” said representative Sergiy Kyslytsya.
Last week, President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) paid a visit to Moscow and said that Brazil “stands in solidarity” with Russia, without specifying in what aspect he expressed solidarity. The Brazilian leader’s gesture was repudiated by the US.
“The vast majority of the global community is united in their view that another country taking part of their land, terrorizing their people, is certainly something not in line with global values. And so, I think Brazil may be on the other side where the majority of the global community is,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Friday.
After the criticism, Bolsonaro said in a live that his trip to Moscow “was not to take sides with anyone”. “I even said that the world is our home and that God is above everyone. I spoke a message of peace,” he said.
The Itamaraty regretted Psaki’s position in a note on Saturday (19). “Brazil’s positions on the situation in Ukraine are clear, public and have been repeatedly transmitted to the authorities of friendly countries and expressed within the framework of the United Nations Security Council.”
Privately, diplomats in Brasilia admitted that the term “solidarity” used by Bolsonaro was bad, but they saw an exaggeration in the American response. They say the president has chosen his words poorly, in an impromptu speech that should not be taken literally.
Full speech by Brazil in the Security Council:
Mr. President,
When this organization was established in 1945, it entrusted the Security Council with primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security. Tension in and around Ukraine is getting worse on a daily basis —every hour, in truth—​making this quotation customary from the Charter [da ONU] of extraordinary importance and relevance.
We are all aware of how critical the situation has become. Brazil is following the latest developments with extreme concern. In the present circumstances, we in this Council, representing the international community, must reiterate the calls for immediate de-escalation and our firm commitment to support political and diplomatic efforts to create the conditions for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
The collective security system of the United Nations ultimately rests on the pillar of international law. This, in his view, rests on the central principles enshrined in the Charter [da ONU]: the egalitarian sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states; the containment of the use, or the threat of the use of force, and the peaceful resolution of disputes.
We renew our call for all parties involved to maintain dialogue. An inescapable first objective is an immediate ceasefire, with a demobilization of troops and military equipment on the ground. This military demobilization will be an important step towards building trust between the parties, strengthening diplomacy and seeking a sustainable solution to the crisis.
However, our pillar and principles will not produce results unless the legitimate concerns of all parties are taken into account, and unless there is complete respect for the Charter. [da ONU] and by existing commitments such as the Minsk Accords.
In this regard, we renew our appeal to all interested parties to maintain the dialogue in a spirit of openness, understanding, flexibility and a sense of urgency to find paths to lasting peace in Ukraine and throughout the region.
An inescapable first objective is an immediate ceasefire, with a demobilization of troops and military equipment on the ground. This military demobilization will be an important step towards building trust between the parties, strengthening diplomacy and seeking a sustainable solution to the crisis.
We firmly believe that this Council must fulfill its core responsibility to help the parties engage in meaningful and effective dialogue to achieve a solution that effectively addresses security concerns in the region. Make no mistake: at the end of the day, we are talking about the lives of innocent men, women and children on the ground.
