The Kremlin released on Monday (7) a list of countries considered hostile to Russia. Brazil, whose president Jair Bolsonaro visited Vladimir Putin the week before the start of the war in Ukraine and has preached neutrality in the conflict, is not in it.
The list was prepared to regulate a decree signed by Putin on Saturday (5), which established criteria for trade relations with other countries while the conflict in the neighbor lasts.
Australia, Albania, Andorra, United Kingdom, the 27 countries of the European Union, Iceland, Canada, Liechtenstein, Micronesia, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, San Marino, North Macedonia, Singapore, United States, Taiwan, Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland and Japan.
All these nations applied some sort of sanction against the Russian government after the invasion that began on February 24th. Brazil, as is known, did nothing in practice, although it voted in favor of the UN (United Nations) resolution condemning the war.
At the same time, its ambassador at the entity also condemned the sanctions, following the Itamaraty’s tradition of seeking to distance itself. With the president, however, the situation is something different.
When he met with Putin on February 16, Bolsonaro said that “Brazil stands in solidarity with Russia” at a time when the United States and NATO, the Western military alliance, had said for weeks that Russian military exercises around Ukraine foreshadowed an invasion.
Then, with the war already underway, on the 27th Bolsonaro said he would maintain neutrality for fear of retaliation in the supply of fertilizers to Brazil — 23% of the inputs consumed in Brazil in 2021 came from Russia. “For us, the fertilizer issue is sacred,” he said.
It didn’t necessarily work: on Friday (4th), the Russian government recommended the product’s manufacturers to suspend their exports until a way was found to regulate the flow of products sent abroad.
The world’s biggest shipping carriers have stopped working in Russian ports, fearing they will be hit by sanctions enacted by the US and other countries for doing business with Moscow. Still, Bolsonaro seems to maintain the argument, supported by sectors of agribusiness.
In a live, Bolsonaro even reprimanded his deputy, Hamilton Mourão, who condemned the war. He said that only he could talk about it. The issue puts pressure on the president even in his electoral base, which has insistently demanded a tougher position on the part of the Planalto.
Meanwhile, his opponents in the October presidential race have positioned themselves against Putin, with greater or lesser assertiveness. Under Putin’s decree, countries “committing hostile actions against Russia, Russian companies and citizens” will be able to have financial obligations paid by any Russian person or entity in rubles from special accounts opened in Putin’s country.
The measure should be in effect as long as capital controls are in place in the country and is yet another attempt to avoid the insolvency of companies – bonds issued in dollars and euros have suffered sharp depreciation with Western sanctions, and shares of giants such as state-owned gas Gazprom are being disputed in the country. Marketplace.
The Russian Central Bank’s response was to reduce access to foreign currency, which impacts Russians’ ability to pay abroad. The new measure is temporary and only covers payments in excess of 10 million rubles (R$365,000) per month.
