At the G7 summit in Japan.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Sunday that he did not meet with Volodímir Zelenski at the G7 summit in Japan because the Ukrainian leader did not attend the scheduled meeting between the two.
In a press conference to take stock of his participation in the G7 summit, where he attended as a guest, Lula said that Zelenski did not appear at the scheduled time for the scheduled meeting between the two.
He pointed out that while he was waiting for the Ukrainian president, he brought forward his meeting with the Vietnamese Prime Minister, Phạm Minh Chinh, but at the end of that hour-long appointment, Zelensky did not appear either.
Lula admitted that he is “upset” that the conversation with Zelenski could not take place, but downplayed the disagreement, saying that if it could not be now, it will take place “on another occasion.”
The Brazilian ruler reiterated his condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory and insisted on his firm defense of the need to talk about peace between Moscow and Kiev, although he regretted that neither of them is willing to do so at this time.
He recalled that two weeks ago, Lula’s main international adviser, former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, traveled to Kiev. After holding talks with senior Ukrainian officials, he confirmed that at this time there are no conditions for peace.
“At the moment both are convinced that they are going to win the war. (…) Neither Putin nor Zelensky are thinking of peace. And if there is no discussion of peace, the war can be very long, “he said.
Lula said that the countries of the global South that are not involved in the war, including Brazil, India, Indonesia and China “want peace”, but recalled that only the belligerents have the power to choose eventual mediators.
«I am not fighting to be a mediator. (The mediator) has to be someone that both sides agree with,” he added.
EFE