Linda ThomasGreenfield will spend three days in the country with an agenda that includes war in Ukraine, democracy and climate change
The United States Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Linda ThomasGreenfield, will pay a threeday visit to Brazil beginning Tuesday (May 2, 2023). She will meet Minister Mauro Vieira (External Relations) and other representatives of the Brazilian government. As of this Monday (May 1), the agenda for the meeting was still under construction.
At least 6 points are foreseen in talks with representatives of the Brazilian government:
- Ukraine War;
- climate change;
- racial equality;
- Food inspection;
- reception of refugees;
- strengthening democracy.
Along with Vice President Kamala Harris, ThomasGreenfield is one of 22 people in US President Joe Biden’s cabinet. All cabinet members stand in Biden’s successor should he resign. ThomasGreenfield is 19th on the list on the Executive Branch side.
The ambassador is the senior US official to visit Brasilia, following the visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on April 17. Lavrov said in Itamaraty that Brazil and Russia “coordinated” their views on the war.
Earlier, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) made several proRussian statements. On April 16, a day before Lavrov’s arrival in Brasília, Lula in the United Arab Emirates declared that Ukraine and Russia were to blame for the conflict.
“LIKE A PARROT”
The US government criticized the meeting between Lula and Lavrov on the day of the Russian’s visit to Brasília. White House Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Lula “repeated Russian and Chinese propaganda like a parrot without looking at the facts.”
ThomasGreenfield’s talks with representatives of the Brazilian government are likely to be much more relaxed. The idea is to say that Brazil can help build a diplomatic solution for peace. It will also say that the UN Charter must be respected. That means condemning the invasion of another country’s territory.
The ambassador’s visit to Brazil was decided after Biden’s meeting with Lula in Washington in early February. She usually visits other countries that are part of the UN Security Council. Brazil has held one of the rotating seats on the board since 2021.
AMAZON FUNDS
Climate protection is one of the most important topics of the ambassador’s visit. On April 20, the US government announced its intention to donate $500 million to the Amazon Fund.
Refugee reception is one of the most important aspects of the visit. There should be meetings between the ambassador and representatives of organizations that host refugees in Brazil, especially Venezuelans.
It is possible that the ambassador is discussing with the Brazilian government the possibility of Brazil increasing the presence of its military in UN peacekeeping missions.
ThomasGreenfield will be flying from New York to Brasilia on a US government plane. The 1st appointment on Tuesday (May 2nd) is a meeting with International Relations students at the University of Brasília.
On Tuesday evening (2 May) the ambassador will travel to Salvador (BA). He will return to Brasília on Wednesday night (May 3). On Thursday (May 4th) there will be new meetings with government representatives. In the evening you fly back to New York.