Lula emphasizes Brazil’s stance on promoting peace between Russia and Ukraine

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated, in an interview at the end of his official agenda in Moscow, that the issue of peace between Russia and Ukraine was a recurring topic throughout several moments of dialogue over the past two days. “You might ask: did you discuss the war in Ukraine? I discussed it before, during, and after, because we told President Putin what we have been saying since the war began: Brazil’s position is against the territorial occupation of another country. Brazil is part of a group of countries that, together with China, created a group of friends, and I told President Putin that we are willing to help with negotiations—as long as both countries involved are open to our participation.”

For the President, beyond the loss of lives and vital infrastructure in the affected countries, wars lead connected and allied nations to invest trillions in defense and weaponry, diverting focus from what truly matters to humanity. “Brazil sees it as madness to keep encouraging war—to see Europe rearming, the UK rearming. We are spending trillions of dollars on weapons when the world needs us to spend trillions on education, healthcare, and food for people who are going hungry. That is the kind of world we want to build,” said Lula, who also referred to the symbolic importance of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which he attended in Moscow.

“This is a country that, among all those that fought alongside the Allies, was the one that lost the most people. It lost nearly 26 million lives. There came a time when the population—the youth—was practically wiped out by World War II. I came here because this is an important commemoration. We must be aware that we can never again allow things like Nazism to resurface on planet Earth,” the President said.

Another perspective emphasized by the President was the defense of multilateralism and free trade, at a time when protectionism and tariffs are increasingly shaping the geopolitical landscape.

“I made a point of coming here to say that Brazil is advocating for the strengthening of multilateralism. It is not acceptable that we have not learned the lesson from the importance of multilateralism after World War II. It humanized trade among nations. Wanting to return to protectionist theories benefits no one—except those who propose them—because what we want is more flexible and fair trade, where we can even implement policies that support poorer countries,” argued President Lula.

In this context, the President believes it is essential to renew and strengthen multilateral institutions, such as the United Nations, so that they are better equipped to reflect today’s world. “That is why Brazil continues to advocate for the reform of the UN Security Council to include new countries. That is why Brazil wants to become a permanent member. That is why Brazil believes India should be there, Germany should be there, Japan should be there, and several African countries should be there. So that we can strengthen the existence of the UN. We will continue to pursue peace, and we will keep engaging in dialogue with everyone who is willing to talk.”