Brazil's Lula meets with Russian FM Lavrov to discuss mutual trade, war in Ukraine

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose stance on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has fuelled consternation in the United States and elsewhere, has met visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov arrived in the capital Brasilia on April 17, where he discussed issues such as trade and Russia’s war in Ukraine with members of Lula’s administration.

“We are grateful to our Brazilian friends for their clear understanding of the genesis of the situation [in Ukraine]. We are grateful for their desire to contribute to finding ways of settling this situation,” Lavrov told reporters after a meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

Seeking to capitalise on Brazil’s tradition of non-intervention and open diplomacy, Lula has pitched himself as a broker for peace talks to end the Ukraine conflict, which began when Russia invaded its neighbour in February 2022.

But he has upset Washington and others stating that several parties are at fault for the war in Ukraine and that the US has “encouraged” the war by sending weapons to the administration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, echoing the positions taken by Moscow and Beijing.

On April 17, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby called 77-year-old Lula’s comments “simply misguided”.

In Brasilia, a handful of protesters held banners condemning Lavrov’s visit and Russia’s invasion.

Lula’s stance has underscored a split between Ukraine’s largely Western allies and other countries who do not want to choose between relations with Russia and the US and have refused to distance themselves from Moscow.

In the year following the invasion of Ukraine, for instance, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted on a series of resolutions to address the violence, including a call for Russia to withdraw its military and a resolution to condemn the annexation of territory.

But some of the world’s most populous countries — including China, India and Brazil — have abstained from voting in some cases.

One example came on April 7, 2022, when the General Assembly passed a resolution to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council, with 93 votes in favour. But 58 countries abstained and another 24 voted against the proposal. Brazil was among the abstentions.

States like Brazil have also baulked at calls to provide Ukraine with military assistance or cut off trade with Russia.

Some economists see Russia’s economic isolation under Western sanctions as an opportunity to enhance economic relations. And in 2022, Brazil marked a record $9.8bn in bilateral trade with Russia.

On April 17, Lavrov and Vieira discussed plans to increase Brazilian meat exports to Russia and fertiliser imports for Brazilian farmers.