RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday declined to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, whereas departing from his authorities’s official stance on the United Nations to say Brazil would remain neutral.
Bolsonaro, a far-right populist, just lately snubbed U.S. entreaties to not go to Putin in Moscow forward of the invasion, and angered Western allies by saying he was “in solidarity with Russia,” with out elaborating.
On Friday, Brazil voted for a draft U.N. Security Council decision that will have denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, regardless of reluctance by Bolsonaro.
At a press convention, Bolsonaro mentioned he spoke for 2 hours with Putin on Sunday. Brazil will remain neutral within the battle, he mentioned, noting that Russia and Ukraine have been “virtually brother nations.”
“We will not take sides, we will proceed being neutral, and assist with no matter is feasible,” Bolsonaro mentioned. “A giant a part of Ukraine’s inhabitants speaks Russian.”
Bolsonaro declined to elaborate on the Ukraine facet of his name with Putin.
Asked by a reporter whether or not he was prepared to condemn Putin’s actions, he mentioned he would await a remaining report, or see how the state of affairs is resolved, earlier than giving his opinion.
He added that he was towards any sanctions that might deliver adverse repercussions for Brazil, citing Russian fertilizers that are essential for its large agribusiness sector.
Bolsonaro additionally mentioned he didn’t suppose Putin’s forces would perform any mass bloodletting in Ukraine.
“A chief of state like that of Russia doesn’t need to undertake a bloodbath, wherever,” he mentioned, including that in two southern areas of Ukraine, some 90% of the inhabitants wished to “approximate themselves to Russia.”
In reference to Ukrainian chief Volodymyr Zelensky, Bolsonaro mentioned Ukrainians have “positioned the hope of their nation within the arms of a comic.”
On Saturday, Bolsonaro tweeted that his authorities wouldn’t stop in efforts to evacuate Brazilians from Ukraine.
“I ask all Brazilians in contested territory to remain agency, observe directions and report any incidents to us. I do know in regards to the difficulties, however we won’t spare any efforts to unravel them,” Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter.
On Sunday, Bolsonaro mentioned his authorities had up to now managed to take away some 70 Brazilians from Ukraine.
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by Richard Chang)
