The Brazilian government has warned the Ukrainian authorities that it does not want the trip to Kiev by Celso Amorim, special adviser to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to be turned into part of the “war propaganda” of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government.
Amorim is in London accompanying Lula to the coronation of King Charles, and the government expects the ambassador to be able to travel to the Ukrainian capital next week. The logistical details of the trip are still being finalized and there is still no confirmation of the exact date of the Brazilian’s arrival.
As revealed by UOL, the Ukrainians said they want to take Amorim to some of the locations where Russian troops have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity. One of the possible places to visit would be the city of Bucha, which is considered a crime scene by Russian troops even by the UN Commission of Inquiry.
Kyiv wants Amorim to “see with his own eyes” and that the “pain, emotions and interests” of Ukrainians be taken into account in the Brazilian government’s positioning.
For Ukrainians, the aim of Amorim’s visit remains to start a dialogue. Kiev does not hide its frustration that a country that wants to mediate in the war Brazil speaks only sparsely with one of the conflicting parties.
According to the assessment of Ukrainian diplomats, without this contact there is no way of mediating or accrediting oneself for such a task. The aim is therefore to convince the Brazilians that Kiev wants to be heard and that talks about peace cannot be abstract.
To show balance and to listen to all parties involved in the conflict, Lula and Zelensky spoke by phone. But the government has been criticized for only sending a delegation to Moscow and not stopping in Kiev.
Lula therefore determined that Amorim should also visit the Ukrainians. But the Brazilian government’s clear warning to the authorities in Kiev is that Brasília would not welcome the trip becoming a seal of approval for the Ukrainian position, nor would the images serve as part of war propaganda.
The Brazilian government fears this will undermine open channels with the Russians, in addition to its position in the Brics and as the ultimate facilitator of a peace process.
inconsistencies
Despite attempts by the Brazilian government to insist that it is willing to facilitate a path to peace, Lula’s position continues to generate unease in the Ukrainian government. Your peaceseeking attitude is taken into account. But senior government officials have insisted, even to Brazilian diplomats in Kiev, on the dissatisfaction provoked by some of Lula’s remarks and what some call inconsistencies in Brazil’s stance on the war.
Kyiv still considers some of Lula’s proposals “creative” and some of them have sparked outrage, such as the idea of abandoning Crimea. The malaise was even reported to Brazilian diplomats in Europe.
According to government officials, there was pressure from Ukrainians to limit dialogue with Brazil given Lula’s position. But Kiev chose to step up the search for contacts and adopt “strategic patience” and “restore ties with Brazil.”
distant peace
For the time being, Kiev sees no chance that a peace talk could take place. The main reason would be the lack of signals from Moscow about the possibility of dialogue. The Ukrainian government has nevertheless made it clear that the attacks with Russian rockets last week show that the Kremlin is not willing to make a deal.
The Ukrainian government continues to insist that any peace agreement must be based on the UN resolution, which is also accepted with a vote by Brazil. She demanded the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops.
However, it would be “too early” for Kiev to talk about a ceasefire. For analysts, however, the only reason would not be Russia’s behavior. The Ukrainians are about to launch a military operation to try to retake part of the occupied territory and therefore no negotiations are currently planned, neither for Kiev nor for NATO. Today, onefifth of Ukrainian territory is under Russian control.