Brazilian officials told Reuters on Thursday that Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to avoid criticizing the U.S. and Europe regarding the war in Ukraine during his visit to Portugal, which he arrives at today.
The officials admitted that Lula's previous remarks caused "an unnecessary uproar" and stated that "Lula will adjust his message during his visits to Portugal and Spain and will steer clear of criticizing Western allies."
One official explained that "Brazil does not want to give the impression that it supports what Russia has done or that it stands with either side of the conflict." The official added, "Lula will fine-tune his speech and emphasize the need to advocate for peace."
Ukraine rejected Lula's proposal to mediate peace efforts, stating that he treats the "victim and the aggressor" the same way. Lula mentioned that "Ukraine needs to make concessions to end the war and that Russia may return the territories it has recently invaded while remaining in Crimea."
The European Union also rejected Lula's assertion that "the responsibility for the war lies with both Ukraine and Russia."
