Lula’s visit to China is the focus of all attention. The Brazilian and Chinese presidents will discuss the Ukrainian issue, but Brasilia’s positions are not unanimous in the Western camp.
It is a highly anticipated visit, Brazilian President Lula begins Tuesday, April 11 a four-day trip to China. The Head of State hopes to put Brazil back at the center of world diplomacy and present himself as a defender of peace, particularly on the Ukrainian issue.
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But these recent positions divide and irritate part of the Western camp. Latest release: his suggestion to cede Crimea to Russia to end the war. Thursday, April 6, 2023, Lula had indeed suggested to kyiv to cede the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, believing that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could not “not want everything“.
Ukraine’s response was not long in coming: “There is no legal, political or moral reason to give up even one centimeter of Ukrainian territory“, wrote on Facebook the spokesperson for Ukrainian diplomacy, Oleg Nikolenko, while ensuring to appreciate”Brazilian President’s efforts to find a way to stop Russian aggression“. Ihe Brazilian head of state had formulated a proposal at the end of January, with still vague outlines, for the mediation of a group of countries in the conflict in Ukraine.
Putting Brazil back on the international stage
For Carlos Milani, professor of international relations at the University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian president ventures on too slippery ground: “Maybe Brazil doesn’t need to enter the complex Ukrainian chessboard to shine on the world stageihere are so many other subjects where Brazil has huge trump cards, such as the climate issue. So, what need to venture into Ukraine?
Far from meeting with the expected success, these initiatives nevertheless serve as trial balloons in a world in turmoil: “Brazil is testing the waters to see how the main powers are reacting to the delicate issue of Ukraine. I think it’s also to better understand how Brazil can position itself in the new geopolitical deal, because things are not yet very clear.” he deciphers.
Brazilian diplomacy is only too aware that peace is not for now, but after the mandate of Jair Bolsonaro, synonymous with international isolation, the Brazil of Lula, tries by all means, to to make a place at the table of the big ones.