President speaks of the end of nuclear weapons and again criticizes UN mechanisms; “We need to talk about peace,” says
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) said at a G7 meeting in Japan this Sunday (May 21, 2023) that he condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but asked for a “dialogue” to resolve the conflict.
“I repeated almost to the point of exhaustion that it is necessary to talk about peace. No solution will last unless it is based on dialogue. We must work to create space for negotiations,” he said.
The PT’s statements were made during the working session “Towards a Peaceful, Stable and Prosperous World” with G7 regulars and guests. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present. A meeting between the two is articulated by Planalto.
“In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, we strongly oppose the use of force as a means of settling disputes. “We condemn the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” Lula said in Japan.
“At the same time, human suffering, loss of life and destruction of homes increases with each passing day that fighting continues,” the PT added. Read the full statement (279 KB).
In April, Lula said two countries were to blame for the war in Europe: Russia and Ukraine. He later withdrew from the statement.
The Brazilian President also criticized the multilateral mechanisms of the United Nations.
“The UN was founded in 1945 to prevent a new world war. But multilateral conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms are no longer working,” he said.
The meeting of the group of the most industrialized countries in the world consisting of Germany, Canada, USA, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom will take place in Hiroshima this year.
Before the session, Lula met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders discussed the resumption of the “strategic partnership” between Brazil and India and the end of the war in Ukraine. “We are on the side of peace” he wrote Lula on his Twitter profile.
Planalto arranges a PT meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Earlier, Lula met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is also attending the G7 summit, and they discussed environmental protection and the war in Ukraine.
“Trudeau reiterated his satisfaction with the return of the Brazilian protagonist to the global environmental debate. We will work together and I believe that we can double trade relations between our countries.” he wrote the pt.
“This meeting with the Prime Minister of Canada is extremely important for Brazil as we have a reasonably successful business relationship of nearly $10.5 billion. And what is important is that there is no advantage for any country, it is more or less the same. And we believe Brazil and Canada are capable of redoubling trade ties,” the Brazilian President said at the opening of the meeting.
Ricardo Stuckert/Planalto May 20th, 2023 Lula and Trudeau are pictured meeting at the G7 summit in Japan
Minutes before meeting Trudeau, Lula had gone to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. The site commemorates the victims of the “Little Boy” atomic bomb that was dropped on the city on August 6, 1945 during World War II.
Watch (10 mins):
On the first day of attending the meeting, the PT also spoke about the environment and possible changes in multilateral organizations such as the UN Security Council (United Nations).
The PT member was part of the panel ‘Together Tackling Multiple Crises Including Nutrition, Health, Development and Gender’, his first debate as a guest in this edition of the G7 the group of most industrialized countries, consisting of Germany, Canada, USA, France, Italy, Japan and the UK. You can find the full text of the speech here (248 KB).
In addition to Brazil, heads of state and government from Australia, South Korea, the Comoros, the Cook Islands, India, Indonesia and Vietnam were also invited to this year’s summit.
Watch the moment G7 leaders and guests pose for an official photo in the video below:
regard (1min 13sec):
In the second panel, entitled “Joint Efforts for a Sustainable Planet”, the Brazilian head of government explained that the world is on the verge of an “irreversible” climate crisis. You can find the full text of the speech here (231 KB).
BILATERAL MEETINGS
In addition to the G7 panels, the President also took part in bilateral meetings. However, the meetings were not highlighted in local media.
On Friday (May 19) before the summit, he had meetings with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japan Fumio Kishida and Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
This Saturday (May 20), the head of government met with French President Emmanuel Macron, IMF (International Monetary Fund) Director General Kristalina Georgieva and German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.
Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
Ricardo Stuckert/PR May 19, 2023 Anthony Albanese (left) and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (right)
Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan
Ricardo Stuckert/PR May 19, 2023 Lula (left) and Fumio Kishida (right)
Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia
Ricardo Stuckert/PR May 19, 2023 Lula (left) Joko Widodo (right)
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF
- what was the date The impact of the Covid19 pandemic on the world’s poorest countries was the main topic of the meeting. Lula also discussed Argentina’s economic situation and IMF aid to the country.
Ricardo Stuckert/PR May 20, 2023 Lula (left) and Kristalina Georgieva (right)
Emmanuel Macron, President of France
Ricardo Stuckert/PR May 20, 2023 Lula (left) and Emmanuel Macron (right)
Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister of Germany
Federal Government/Zhan May 20, 2023 Lula (left) and Olaf Scholz (right)
Read more about the G7 summit: