The United States Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, traveled to Brazil this Monday (1st) to strengthen relations with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who recently blamed Washington for “encouraging” the war in Ukraine.
In his meetings with Lula government officials, Thomas-Greenfield will emphasize the need for cooperation between the two countries, instead of focusing on the PT’s controversial statements.
On Wednesday, the diplomat will travel to Salvador, the heart of the Afro-Brazilian community, to highlight the need to build an egalitarian society in the two multiethnic countries.
After Lula took office in January, inevitable parallels with his American counterpart, Joe Biden, were drawn: both are veteran politicians who defeated right-wing populists who blamed their defeats on voting machines and whose angry supporters resorted to violence. The two presidents also prioritize the climate issue.
Lula met Biden at the White House in February, but made international headlines last month during a trip to China by accusing the United States, which has sent billions of dollars in weapons to Ukraine, of “inciting war”.
Lula later clarified that he condemns the Russian invasion, but the White House accused him of “spreading Russian and Chinese propaganda”, which earned him praise from Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who recently visited Brasilia.
A US official said Thomas-Greenfield would “consult” with Brazil about the war in Ukraine.
“Our position is that a group of countries around the world, including Brazil, can play a positive role in trying to end this conflict,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
“But we have to guarantee that the peace is just and lasting” and that it respects the “principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity”.
The US is also asking Brazil to extradite alleged Russian spy Sergei Cherkasov, who allegedly posed as a Brazilian student in Washington and collected information about Ukraine.
