Due to a change in attitude, the ambassador defends Lula’s visit to Ukraine

Ukraine’s Chargé d’Affaires in Brazil, Anatoliy Tkach, stated that a visit by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to Ukraine could “change the PT’s attitude” on war. Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian territory completed one year this Friday (24th) and, so far, the Brazilian government has adopted a position close to neutrality in relation to the conflict.

“Many international visits have shown that a visit to Ukraine can change the perception of what is happening there. So visiting Ukraine is a good idea because it will give you a better understanding of how things are and can change the attitude about this invasion in a big way.” scale,” said Tkach.

Tkach is a kind of “informal ambassador” of Kiev in Brasilia, since he occupies the second position in importance in the representation. Rostyslav Tronenko held the post of ambassador until the end of 2021, just before the Russian invasion.

The person in charge stated that there are still no negotiations for Lula to pay a visit to the invaded country. It is expected that Lula will talk for the first time by telephone with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in the coming weeks.

“The conversation has not yet taken place, so I cannot confirm whether the president invited him or not. But the idea is very good from the point of view that, in the event that President Lula is willing to go to Ukraine, this could change. the whole perception of Brazil”, defended Tkach.

Last week, US President Joe Biden made his first visit to Ukraine since the start of the war. In addition to him, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as well as former British leader Boris Johnson, paid visits to the country. to show your support.

A People’s Gazette sought Chancellor Mauro Vieira and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to inquire about a possible visit by Lula. However, we have received no responses from Itamaraty so far.

Ambassador rejected Lula’s comparison about the war in Ukraine

Anatoliy Tkach also rejected a recent statement by President Lula in which the Brazilian said, when commenting on the war, that “when one doesn’t want to, two don’t fight.” The country’s Business representative in Brazil, then, said that Russian and Ukrainian actions in the war cannot be “equated”.

“We cannot match the positions of Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine is defending itself on its own territory and defending its people. If Ukraine stops fighting, Ukraine will cease to exist. If Russia stops this aggression, the war will simply ends,” he said.

Lula’s declaration took place at the end of January, when he stated that Russia had made a “crass error” by invading Ukraine. But then he said that “when one doesn’t want to, two don’t fight”. The statement was given after a meeting between the president and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, at the Planalto Palace, in Brasília.

Tkach also demanded that Brazil and other countries that condemn the Russian invasion give more support to the Ukrainian government, including the supply of weapons for defense. “Ukraine is defending itself on its own territory, defending its citizens. Appeasing the aggressor would lead to more atrocities. We need more equipment, military and ammunition,” he added.

The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, even asked the Brazilian government to supply Ukraine with weapons, as Western countries did. Lula, however, ruled out that possibility. “Brazil does not want to have any participation, even if indirect, in the war”, said Lula during Scholz’s visit to Brazil.

Tkach says Ukraine “will not accept peace at any cost”

Questioned about Lula’s strategy to create a “peace club” with several countries, Anatoliy Tkach stated that he sees any initiative to end the war as positive. However, the Chargé d’Affaires pondered that the Ukrainian government “will not accept peace at any cost”.

“Ukraine has made it clear that it will not accept peace at any cost. We will not agree to anything that keeps Ukrainian territories occupied and makes our people dependent on the aggressor’s will,” Tkach declared.

Anatoliy Tkach said the country does not want the war to be “prolonged” but “will fight as long as necessary”. “Russia has not changed its plans to destroy Ukraine. Every time Russia asks for negotiations, its troops do the opposite. They are trying to carry out a new offensive,” he said.

“The Kremlin [sede do governo russo] continues with the acquisition of weapons through allies and also increased its own production”, completed the Ukrainian.

Still on the peace club proposed by Lula, the representative of Ukraine in Brazil pointed out that president Zelensky presented a peace plan with ten points to put an end to the war with Russia. The document was presented by the Ukrainian president during the G20 conference in Indonesia, in November last year.

Brazil played a supporting role in the UN resolution

Still on balance, Anatoliy Tkach cited the vote in the United Nations (UN) against the war as a strong signal of the countries’ support for Ukraine. “In all, 141 UN member states made it clear that Russia must end its unlawful aggression and that Ukraine’s territorial integrity must be restored,” Tkach continued.

Such as People’s Gazette showed, Itamaraty placed an excerpt in the text of the resolution approved by the member countries during the vote that took place this Thursday (23). However, Brazil’s votes and positioning placed the country in a supporting position.

Brazil voted for the approval of the resolution that calls for Russia to withdraw its troops from Ukraine, but abstained in two amendments presented by Belarus, which asked for the exclusion of language referring to the “large-scale invasion” of Ukraine and the “aggression of the Russian”. The amendments also called for amendments to the UN-approved text regarding the requirement that Russia immediately withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory.

By voting in favor of the resolution, Brazil takes a stand alongside the United States, the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). By abstaining from the amendments presented by Belarus, which benefit the country itself and Russia, it makes nods to Russians and China.

Thus, despite Lula’s intentions, Brazilian foreign policy does not play a leading role, argues political scientist and director of Projects at the Center for Strategy, Intelligence and International Relations (Ceiri), Marcelo Suano.

“The pretension is to be a protagonist, but due to a need and personal interest of the President of the Republic, the way he positions himself is of a supporting role”, he says.