Zelensky wants Brazil at summit to discuss end of war, says Ukrainian chief of staff

The chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, said this weekend that the country’s government is going to invite Brazil to participate in a summit meeting to discuss peace and end the war in Eastern Europe.

Yermak confirmed that Brazil will be one of the main guests of the first International Peace Summit, proposed by Zelensky to reach an agreement with Russia within the Ukrainian terms for the end of the conflict. However, there is still no date or place set for the meeting.

“On behalf of the President, I and our Ministry of Foreign Affairs are working on organizing the first International Peace Summit to discuss the formula proposed by President Zelensky. And we believe that the summit will not be complete without the participation of the countries of the global south”, he said in an interview with CNN Brasil.

Among the countries of the so-called “Global South” mentioned by Yermak are also India, China, Saudi Arabia and African nations. Zelensky’s chief of staff also said that he “wants to see Brazil as one of the leaders in the implementation of our Peace Plan”.

As he told CNN Brasil, Yermak said he was open to dialogue with Brasília, praising the conversations he had with Celso Amorim, special advisor for international affairs to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), who visited Kiev in May.

“Ukraine is very interested in developing its relations with Brazil. Ukraine really wants a strategic partnership with Brazil. And we are ready to do everything that depends on us to achieve this goal, ”she said.

The invitation to Brazil comes three weeks after Celso Amorim tried to contain the crisis caused by Lula’s declarations of responsibility for the conflict. The president’s adviser said that “it will not be easy to reach a confluence. It will be necessary for both sides to come to the conclusion that the cost of war is greater than the cost of certain concessions.”

In addition to dealing with the war, Yermak defended better relations between Ukraine and Brazil, mainly in trade reactions, “and there is no need to wait until the end of the war”.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it has not yet received any invitation from the Ukrainian government to participate in any peace conference. However, he said that Brazil is interested in participating and helping to resolve the conflict.