Brazilian President criticized by US but praised by Russia for proposal for Ukraine

Brasilia [Brazil], April 18: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been criticized by the US government after accusing the West of "encouraging" hostilities in Ukraine, but has been praised by Russia's foreign minister for his proposals for peace talks.
During a visit to Brasilia on April 17, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Lula and thanked Brazil for its efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. But a senior White House official accused Lula of "repeating Russia and China without looking at the facts."
Mr. Lula has tried to promote himself as a mediator to negotiate peace to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. That proposal builds on Brazil's tradition of open diplomacy and non-intervention.
But Lula angered many in the West with his remarks over the weekend when he called on Western powers to stop supplying Kyiv with weapons. The statement came shortly after he returned from China, where he discussed the matter with Chinese President Xi Jinping .
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"America needs to stop cheering for war and start talking about peace," Lula told reporters on April 15, according to Reuters. He also called for the creation of a group of countries not involved in the war to persuade Russia and Ukraine to sit at the table for peace negotiations.
Lavrov told journalists in Brasilia on April 17 that Moscow was "grateful to our Brazilian friends because they understood the source of the situation." "We are very grateful that Brazil wants to contribute to finding a way to solve this situation," the Russian foreign minister stressed.
John Kirby, spokesman for the US National Security Council, on the same day spoke out. He said Mr Lula's words were "simply misguided" and failed to achieve their goal by "considering that the US and Europe don't appear to be interested in peace, or that we also have a responsibility in the conflict." sudden".
So far, among Western nations, only French President Emmanuel Macron has welcomed Mr. Lula's peace initiative. The Brazilian leader's call to stop supplying arms to Ukraine did not resonate with most diplomats.
"This should raise alarm bells," commented a European ambassador to Brasilia, saying that ending arms supplies to Ukraine would mean siding with Russia.
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Kyiv, Washington and other allies argue that a ceasefire now would give Russia control of the territory it holds in Ukraine, and Ukraine's right to seek Western weapons to drive out its enemies.
The European Union (EU) also rejected Lula's suggestion that both Ukraine and Russia be responsible for the war. EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano said all aid was directed towards Ukraine's "legitimate right to self-defence".
Earlier this year, Mr. Lula refused to provide ammunition to Ukraine at the request of Germany.
Source: ThanhNien Newspaper