“It’s a shame which way Lula is going”

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He woos Moscow and Beijing, describes Selensky as a war criminal and calls on Ukraine to relinquish its claim to Crimea: Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (77), Lula for short, seems to be moving away from the Western world to the Russian-Chinese axis to avert.

His statements are so shocking that Brazil expert Johannes Kabatek (58) from the University of Zurich says: “It’s a shame which way Lula is going. I didn’t expect that.” In February, Kabatek got a “very good” balance sheet from Lula’s first month in office.

Moscow is happy

What happened? A few days ago, during his visit to China, Brazil’s leftist head of state blamed the West for the war in Ukraine, saying, “The United States must stop promoting the war and start talking about peace.” Before that, he had demanded that the question of Crimea be discussed.

His criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (45) already caused outrage in May 2022. Lula then said, a few months before his election: “This man is as responsible for the war as Putin.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (73) visited Brasilia on Monday. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira (72) reiterated the importance of a peaceful solution and criticized the sanctions against Russia. “Such measures have a negative effect on the economy, especially in developing countries.” Lavrov thanked Brazil “for its contribution to finding a solution to this conflict”.

Brazil is connected to Russia, India, China and South Africa through the community of Brics countries.

Lula as a mediator?

The anger is great in the White House. John Kirby, 60, communications director of the US National Security Council, railed: “Brazil parroted Russian and Chinese propaganda without looking at the facts.” It is very problematic when Brazil claims that the US and Europe are not interested in peace and are responsible for the war.

Like China, Brazil presents itself as a neutral mediator, but it has neither condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nor imposed sanctions on Russia.

Lula says she wants to initiate a “G20 of peace”, a group of countries that must work to end the war. Like Russia, Lula believes that peace can only be achieved on the basis of a “new world order” without US hegemony.

Brazil as a peacemaker? For Kabatek it is clear: “With the statements of the past few days, Lula has disqualified herself as an intermediary.”

The solution lies in Europe

In the 2022 elections, left-wing Lula has removed right-wing Jair Bolsonaro (68) from office. At the time, Kabatek spoke of a “new beginning” and that Brazil was back on the international stage. Now Lula seems to be looking for “its own meaning outside the United States”.

For Kabatek, the priority is to find a solution to get Lula on track. Kabatek: “Europe should get him on board – that would be good for both sides.”

Source: Blick