1 of 1 Lula and Zelenskyy attend the 2023 G7 Leaders’ Summit Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/President of the Republic Lula and Zelenskyy attend the 2023 G7 Leaders’ Summit Photo: Ricardo Stuckert/President of the republic
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said this Sunday (21) that he did not meet with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy because the Ukrainian President was late for the bilateral meeting and then not for the meeting with Brazilian President appeared to the Ukrainian President. .
“The fact is quite simple, there was a bilateral meeting with Ukraine here in this hall. We waited and got the information that it was delayed. In the meantime I received the President of Vietnam. When the President of Vietnam left, Ukraine didn’t show up.” “He certainly had another commitment and couldn’t come here. It just happened,” Lula said.
Lula also downplayed the lack of a facetoface meeting with Zelenskyy, as Lula says the two presidents overheard each other’s speeches on the UkraineRussia conflict.
“I carefully listened to Zelenskyy’s speech at the meeting. He certainly listened carefully to my speech at the meeting. And I continue in the same position I was in before,” Lula continued. The President made the remarks at a press conference after attending the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan.
The Brazilian President also stated that neither the President of Ukraine nor the President of Russia Vladimir Putin want to discuss peace.
Lula said he was ready to travel to Ukraine and Russia to meet with the countries’ leaders and discuss a solution to the armed conflict. However, from what he has heard from the Presidency’s adviser on international affairs, former Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, this is still not possible.
The head of Brazil’s executive branch was questioned about trying to come up with a peace plan for the war. Lula explained that a solution would only be possible if Zelenskyy and Putin are willing to talk about the matter.
The President was asked about the Ukrainian President’s statement that Lula was “disappointed” that the bilateral meeting did not take place.
“I was not disappointed, I was upset because I would like to meet him and discuss the matter, so I made an appointment with him here at the hotel. That’s all. See, Zelenskyy is of legal age, he knows what he wants.” Lula replied.
Lula has not met Zelenskyy and Biden
Lula and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not have a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit due to “incompatibility of agendas”. The President of Ukraine was the one who requested the meeting with Lula.
According to the Brazilian government, the possibility of a meeting has been negotiated and a meeting room set up for the meeting. However, the meeting did not take place “because of scheduling incompatibility”.
According to the Brazilian government, Lula even offered more than one appointment, but the Ukrainian president’s team failed to fit the meeting into Zelenskyy’s agenda.
When asked if he was disappointed that the meeting didn’t take place, the President of Ukraine wryly replied that he thought Lula should have been disappointed. Zelenskyy met with the President of the United States, Joe Biden, this Sunday (21).
Lula would also meet with the American president, but according to the Brazilian government, Biden wanted to meet the heads of state of Indonesia, India and Brazil, but it was not possible to coordinate the agendas.