Lula refuses Putin’s invitation to the International Economic Forum and says he cannot go to Russia

The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT), refused this Friday, the 26th, during a telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin, leader of Russia, an invitation to attend the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, which will be held from 14 to 17 June. “I just spoke by phone with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. I was grateful for an invitation to attend the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg,” he wrote on Twitter, adding that he cannot “go to Russia at this time, but I reiterate Brazil’s willingness, along with India, Indonesia and China, to talk to both sides of the conflict in search of peace”, he said, referring to the war in Ukraine, which is heading into its second year. Putin interrupted a business meeting to speak with the Brazilian leader. During his participation in the G7 last week, Lula condemned the violation of the Eastern European country’s territorial integrity, but stated that the two countries were not willing to talk about peace. “I feel that neither Putin nor Zelensky are talking about peace at the moment. It seems to me that both believe that someone is going to win and there is no need to discuss peace”, said the PT. “I am convinced that if there is no discussion about peace, this war could be very long. And I think it is important for us to prevent people from dying”, he continued during his speech to the press after the end of the G7. When the conflict completed a year, Lula proposed the creation of a group to mediate peace between Russia and Ukraine. Putin became interested in the Brazilian plan, but, so far, there has been no further information on how it proceeded.

In a note, the Kremlin also spoke about the conversation between the leaders, which it classified as constructive and informative. According to them “the President of Brazil shared his impressions on the participation in the recent G7 summit (Japan, Hiroshima, 20-21 May 2023) and also outlined his vision of possible mediation efforts to find ways to resolve the conflict in Ukraine ”, adding that the president of Russia made a “fundamental assessment of the development of the situation around Ukraine, while confirming the openness of the Russian side to dialogue on the political and diplomatic path”, accusing Kiev and the West of not being cooperating. The Kremlin also highlighted that issues related to joint work within the BRICS were considered and “some current aspects of the Russian-Brazilian strategic partnership were discussed, and mutual interest was expressed in its progressive development and deepening of practical cooperation in various fields”.

I just spoke by phone with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. I thanked him for an invitation to attend the International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, and replied that I couldn’t go to Russia at the moment, but reiterated Brazil’s willingness, along with India, Indonesia and…

— Lula (@LulaOficial) May 26, 2023