(Updates with Lula’s comments, changes wording)
By Catarina Demony and Miguel Pereira
LISBON, April 22 (Reuters) –
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he does not want to “please anyone” with his views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after drawing criticism in the West for suggesting Kiev was partly to blame for the war.
In Lisbon on Saturday, at the start of his first visit to Europe since he was elected president, Lula said his goal was to “find a way to bring both (Russia and Ukraine) to the table.”
“I want to find a third alternative (to resolve the conflict), which is the construction of peace,” he said at a press conference.
Lula has angered many Western countries for suggesting Ukraine and Russia are to blame for the conflict that began when Moscow invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
Last week he said the United States and European allies should stop supplying Ukraine with weapons, saying they were prolonging the war.
“If they are not making peace, they are contributing to war,” Lula said.
The White House accused Lula of “parroting” Russian and Chinese propaganda.
Lula arrived in Portugal on Friday for a five-day visit in his bid to improve foreign relations.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who accompanied Lula at the press conference, said their countries’ stance on the war was different.
Portugal is a founding member of NATO and has sent military equipment to Ukraine. Rebelo de Sousa stated that Ukraine has the right to defend itself and “recover” its territory.
Lula’s comments about the war have angered the Ukrainian community in Portugal, where there was a demonstration outside the Brazilian embassy on Friday.
Brazil has said Portugal could be an “important ally” in helping the South American bloc Mercosur negotiate a free trade agreement with the European Union. (Reporting by Catarina Demony, Miguel Pereira and Rodrigo Antunes Edited in Spanish by Javier López de Lérida)
Source: Ambito
