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Alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Jair Bolsonaro said this Wednesday (10) that Brazil stands in solidarity with “countries that strive for peace” and defended the sovereignty of States, respect for international law and the United Nations Charter. “The world is our home and God is above all of us. We preach peace and we respect all those who act in this way, after all this is in the interest of all of us”, said the president after a meeting of about two hours with the Russian leader, in the Kremlin, in Moscow.
The declaration of neutrality was made at a time of great instability in Eastern Europe, when thousands of Russian soldiers are positioned on the border with Ukraine and Western powers warn of a possible Russian invasion of the neighboring country. The bilateral meeting, amid the escalation of tensions, was considered inappropriate by specialists and former American diplomats.
Bolsonaro classified the meeting as “fruitful” and stressed that he and Putin have common values: “the belief in God and the defense of the family”.
He also thanked the Russian president for having sided with the government when other countries questioned the Amazon as a Brazilian heritage. “I want to thank you for your intervention, which was always by our side in defense of our sovereignty.” The two also talked about the environment and sustainability and signaled that they will deepen and expand the bilateral agenda “for the benefit of our peoples”.
When talking about agribusiness, Bolsonaro said that Brazil is a great power in the sector and that he is grateful to “dear friend” Putin for the fertilizer trade, as Russia is one of the main sellers of agricultural inputs to Brazil. He also indicated that, in the area of energy, the countries wish to deepen the high-level dialogue on topics such as oil exploration in deep waters and hydrogen.
Putin, in turn, said that, when dealing with issues on the global and regional agenda, the leaders found that, on many issues, the positions of the two governments are close or coincide.
The host also said that he intends to intensify cooperation with Brazil on matters on the United Nations agenda, as Brazil is a temporary member of the Security Council of the UN in the biennium 2022/1280. “I am convinced that today’s negotiations will promote a future strengthening of Russian-Brazilian relations”, concluded Putin, who also expressed condolences to the families of the victims of the landslides in Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro, at dawn this Wednesday.
Meeting takes place at a time of regional instability in Eastern Europe
President Jair Bolsonaro is in Russia this week to discuss bilateral relations and deepen trade and technological cooperation ties. The moment, however, is delicate, as there are thousands of Russian soldiers on the border with Ukraine and Western countries indicate the possibility of an invasion of Ukrainian territory. Russia denies its intention to invade its neighbor and says it is open to a diplomatic solution to the impasse over Ukraine’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a western military alliance that rivaled the former Soviet Union at the time of the Cold War.
Brazil it is a non-NATO ally and historic partner of the United States. Because of this, Bolsonaro’s visit was not welcomed by the White House, which, internally, worked to get the Brazilian government to postpone the trip. Publicly, the US State Department said that Brazil “has a responsibility to defend democratic principles and order” and that it hopes that the president “takes advantage” of the meeting “to reinforce” these principles.
Upon being received by Putin, Bolsonaro said that Brazil is ” solidarity with Russia”, but did not specify what he was referring to, nor did he mention the security crisis between the host and Ukraine. When the issue was debated at the United Nations, at the end of January, Brazil defended that the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity be respected and rejected military intervention or the application of unilateral sanctions.
The issue was discussed in a meeting between Chancellors Carlos França and Sergey Lavrov and the ministers of Defense, General Walter Braga Netto, and General Sergey Shoigu. But the content of the conversations was not reported. Lavrov, however, criticized NATO’s “uncontrolled expansion” to the east and said he had informed Brazilian ministers about Russian efforts to “fight these activities”. In a press conference with Carlos França, Lavrov also stated that the United States is trying to impose its orders on other countries and, in doing so, is trying to “divide the world” between democratic and non-democratic countries. After the meeting with Putin, Bolsonaro will have a meeting with deputy Vyacheslav Volodin, president of the Duma, the equivalent of the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, and will participate in a meeting with Brazilian and Russian businessmen. The next morning, Bolsonaro will travel to Budapest, Hungary, where he will be received by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Encounters about defense and energy
After the meeting between the chancellors and defense ministers of Russia and Brazil, the countries announced that signed a protocol for the mutual protection of classified information. According to France, bilateral understanding is important because it facilitates cooperation in cutting-edge technology and sensitive areas. The Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, also accompanies President Bolsonaro in Russia and is discussing Brazil’s participation in the next edition of the Saint Petersburg International Forum, scheduled for June. In an interview with Brazilian journalists in Moscow, Albuquerque said that he believes that “there can be very great cooperation , not only in the technical field, but also in terms of investment by the two countries in the oil and gas sector, since Russia and Brazil are major oil producers in the world”. for the completion of the Angra 3 nuclear power plant. “We are looking for a partner for the completion of Angra 3. The works are already in progress, but now we are looking for a company that specializes in the operation of nuclear plants, to be a partner of Eletronuclear. Rosatom is one of these companies, which has been talking to Eletronuclear for some time, and could be one of the companies that will participate in this consortium”, said the minister.