The president of Brazil condemned Russia for invading Ukraine. Before that he was “on the side of peace”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine. Before that, he took a neutral position.

He also confirmed his position in favor of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, reports The Guardian.

The comments came after da Silva met with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in Brazil.

Earlier, the Brazilian president stated that he did not want to choose a side in Russiaʼs war against Ukraine, but wanted to remain on the "side of peace." Recently, da Silva had a telephone conversation with the Russian president, during which he rejected Putinʼs invitation to come to the Russian Federation.

• In an interview with TIME in May 2022, da Silva said that not only Putin was to blame for Russiaʼs invasion of Ukraine, but also the United States, the EU, and Zelensky. He said that Ukraine should have abandoned the path to the EU and NATO, and instead negotiated with Russia.
• In early 2023, da Silva refused to hand over Gepard anti-aircraft shells to Ukraine, and later said he wanted to mediate between Ukraine and Russia to end the war.
• The president of Brazil also offered to hand over the occupied Crimea to Russia in order to stop its war against Ukraine. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine replied that there is no reason to cede their lands. Later, he noted that the US should stop "encouraging war" in Ukraine and "start talking about peace." Da Silva also stated that neither Putin nor Zelenskyy are making any peace initiatives.