Refusal to sell ammunition is intended to prevent entering the war in Ukraine, says Lula

Cooperation for UOL, in Salvador

2/16/2023 6:58 PMUpdated on 2/16/2023 9:25 PM

President Lula (PT) has again defended the formation of a group to reach a solution to the war between Russia and Ukraine in an interview with CNN Brasil published today. The Petista said he could not supply ammunition, otherwise he would join the conflict.

If I sell the ammunition for the cannon that Germany will give to Ukraine, it means that Brazil will enter the war. And I don’t want to join the war, I want to end this war.”
President Lula

Lula is traveling to China in March to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Petista said he would propose to his counterpart to form a group to discuss the war between Russia and Ukraine with the aim of ending the conflict.

The Brazilian had already spoken of the idea of ​​forming a group at a meeting with US President Joe Biden last week.

“I am convinced that it is necessary to find a way out to end this war. And I felt the same concern from President Biden because nobody wants this war to go on. It is necessary to have partners capable of building a group of negotiators that both sides believe in,” Lula said at the time.

I appeal to Brazil. The United States wants “Brazil to play Ukraine’s role” and strengthen its condemnation of Russia’s invasion of the eastern European country, US Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said today.

If [o Brasil] If you had a big neighbor taking parts of your territory and occupying it with the military, would you expect and crave the support of the democratic community to fight back and fight back?” he asked in an interview with journalists. “It’s about defending the UN Charter and the rules of the world that allowed our children to grow up in a relatively civilized international environment

This Thursday’s speech clarifies the tone of the American administration in relation to the stance taken by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), inherited from that of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), to avoid more direct interference in the conflict. Brazil’s new president rejected Germany’s request to supply munitions to tanks on the Ukrainian side, declaring last week that “Brazil will not take part in the war”.