The Brazilian Foreign Relations Ministry released a short statement Thursday, calling for the “immediate suspension of hostilities and the beginning of negotiations” after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Brazil calls for the immediate suspension of hostilities and the start of negotiations leading to a diplomatic solution to the issue, based on the Minsk Accords and that takes into account the legitimate security interests of all parties involved and the protection of the civilian population,” the Brazilian diplomacy statement said.
Notably, the statement doesn’t call Russian moves on Ukrainian territory an “invasion.”
President Jair Bolsonaro, who met Russia’s President Vladimir Putin last week and expressed “solidarity” to Russia, has not made a public statement today.
Brazilian government’s position on Russia and Ukraine doesn’t seem unanimous. Talking to the press on Thursday morning, Brazil’s Vice President Hamilton Mourão condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and asked for actions beyond economic sanctions on Putin’s government.
“The Western world is the same (place) as it was in 1938 with Hitler, on the basis of appeasement, and Putin did not respect the appeasement. That’s the truth,” Mourão said. “In my view, mere economic sanctions — which is an intermediate form of sanction — do not work.”
He also said significant action is needed by allies to provide the Ukrainians military support.
“The use of force is needed, a support for Ukraine, more than what is being put on. That’s my view. If the Western world just let Ukraine falls, Bulgaria will be next, then the Baltic States, and so on. Just as Hitler’s Germany did in the 1930s,” he said.
Mourão says Brazil supports Ukraine.
“Brazil is not neutral. Brazil has made it very clear that it respects Ukraine’s sovereignty. So Brazil does not agree with an invasion of Ukrainian territory.”
