The President of Ukraine arrives in the US to meet with President Joe Biden
The Planalto Palace denied this Monday (11) that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky was not invited to the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in January.
Zelensky gave the statement to Fantástico reporter Álvaro Pereira Júnior, who asked him why he went to the inauguration of the ultraliberal Javier Milei in Argentina but not to Lula's.
“I didn't go to Lula's inauguration because I wasn't invited. Here Milei called me and invited me. If they ask me to go to Brazil, I'll go. “I have already invited Lula to go to Ukraine,” replied the President of Ukraine.
For the President of Ukraine, Brazil's participation in peace negotiations is very important
Asked about this version, Palácio do Planalto explained that Zelensky had been invited, but claimed that he could not come to Brazil due to the war against Russia. Ukraine decided to send Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Zvrydenko, who met with Lula on the eve of the inauguration.
“There was an invitation for the President of Ukraine to come to the inauguration. Ukraine sent Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrdenko, who met with Lula on December 31, 2022. She conveyed Zelensky's greetings and said that he could not come because of the war with Russia. The meeting was public,” Planalto wrote in a note.
Brazil's participation in the peace process
In the interview in Buenos Aires, Fantástico also asked what Zelensky expected from Brazil in connection with the conflict with Russia.
He said that Brazil is a large and important country and therefore it would be positive if it were included in the peace process.
“Brazil is a very large and very important country and has influence on other countries. So it plays a very, very important role. It is important to include Brazil in the peace negotiations,” Zelensky said.
He told another reporter that there is still a strong memory of the Soviet Union on the traditional left and that this left sees Russia as a kind of successor to the Soviets. Hence the country's desire to soon be free from Russian invasion.