President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) during breakfast with journalists at the Planalto Palace.| Photo: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil.

After an intense diplomatic rapprochement between the Brazilian government and Moscow last week, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva backtracked and criticized the invasion of Ukraine. The declaration takes place on the same day that the president is talking by telephone with the Japanese premier, Fumio Kishida, to arrange his participation in a meeting of the G7, the group of the seven largest economies in the world, scheduled for May.

Speaking of international politics this Thursday morning (6) at a breakfast with journalists, Lula said that Russia “cannot stay” with invaded territory in Ukraine. The placement is contrary to the last position of the Brazilian government, which had supported the peace agreement drawn up by China. Beijing advocates for a ceasefire to be declared and for Russia not to leave the territories already conquered in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

The pro-Moscow position had taken place last week, in parallel with a secret visit by former Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim to Russia. At the time, a possible visit by Lula to Moscow was negotiated, the date of which has not yet been disclosed.

The G7 meeting should take place in Hiroshima, Japan, between the 19th and 21st of May. Lula and Kishida would have a telephone conversation this Thursday night. The G7 countries are critical of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and have articulated unprecedented international sanctions packages against the Kremlin since the beginning of the war.

Brazilian foreign policy traditionally does not provide for automatic alignment with any power. For this reason, Brazil is usually classified as a pendulum country by international analysts.