Ukraine agrees to Brazil’s Lula proposal to work towards peace, Kyiv adviser says

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accepted an offer from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to help advance efforts towards a peace deal in Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian presidential adviser.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in the French resort of Evian-les-Bains on Wednesday (June 17), where Zelenskyy pressed allies to increase pressure on Russia to bring an end to the more than four-year-old conflict, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The discussions focused on ways to potentially revive diplomatic channels. Lula proposed several ideas, including engaging with the permanent members of the UN Security Council, Ukrainian presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn said.

Aside from the United States, France and the United Kingdom — with whom Ukraine maintains close diplomatic contact — the permanent members of the Security Council also include Russia and China.

Lytvyn said the two presidents agreed to explore Lula’s proposals further.

"They agreed that, in particular, based on such ideas and contacts, they would try to achieve something and later they would discuss it based on the results," Lytvyn said.

A US-backed mediation effort earlier this year stalled amid Russia’s insistence on further territorial concessions from Ukraine, which Kyiv has firmly rejected.

Zelenskyy has also continued to call for US President Donald Trump to re-engage in mediation efforts and facilitate direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, although Moscow has so far ruled out such a meeting.

Following the G7 discussions, Lula said Zelenskyy had previously shown little interest in his diplomatic proposals, but had now agreed to consider them.

Lula told a news conference that he had already spoken with all five permanent members of the Security Council and intended to continue doing so.

Ukraine has recently intensified efforts to reinvigorate diplomacy to end the war, as wider US-led peace initiatives have slowed amid competing global crises.

By Aghakazim Guliyev