Amorim responds to US: saying that Brazil 'parrots' Russian propaganda is totally absurd.
The former foreign minister and current special advisor to President Lula also criticized the "drama" and "hypocrisy" surrounding Lula's statements about the war in Ukraine.
247 Former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, currently a special advisor to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on international affairs, criticized the position of the United States government, under President Joe Biden, regarding statements made by the Brazilian head of state about the war in Ukraine, governed by President Volodymyr Zelensky. The Ukrainians are at war with Russia, under President Vladimir Putin.
"To say that we 'parrot' Russian propaganda is totally absurd. We have several points of convergence, but at various times Brazil, under the current government, has condemned the invasion of Ukraine. We cannot make a drama out of this. Of course, words are always important, but let's look at basic actions and see the reality," Amorim said in an interview with GloboNews.
President Lula has been urging the US and European countries to take more initiative in negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, which is occupied by Russian troops.
The PT member stated last Sunday (16) that "President [of Russia, Vladimir] Putin is not taking the initiative to stop it." "[Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky is not taking the initiative to stop it. Europe and the United States continue to contribute to the continuation of this war," he said in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where the Brazilian leader made a stop on his return from a trip to China.
According to Amorim, "Lula made a generic reference to Crimea. I've heard several European leaders say – they don't say it loudly, but they do – that 'well, we already know about Crimea, right?'" "Let's stop with this hypocrisy," he added.
The U.S. national security spokesman, John Kirby, said that the "Brazil is repeating Russia's propaganda without looking at the facts.".
Brazil's Foreign Minister, Mauro Vieira, disagreed with the position issued by the US representative. The Brazilian chancellor said he didn't know how, "why he arrived at that conclusion," referring to statements by John Kirby.
On Monday (17), President Lula had a meeting in Brasília (DF) with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov. The Russian Foreign Minister thanked in response to President Lula's requests for the creation of a group of countries to negotiate an end to the war.
Lavrov made a invitation to the Brazilian president to visit the Eurasian country, governed by President Vladimir Putin, who demonstrated support for what he called military cooperation between Russia and China.
The Ukrainian government also invited Lula to go to Kiev.