No ammo but…
Lula wants to mediate with Xi in the war
01/31/2023, 05:20 am
Shortly after the beginning of the war, Germany asked Brazil for ammunition for Cheetah tanks. President Lula is now making it clear that they will not be delivered. Brazil can still help: as a mediator in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. He makes it clear that he sees the blame on both sides
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has proposed a mediation initiative by Brazil and China to end the Ukraine war. “It is necessary to form a group of countries that is strong enough and respected and sit down with the two at a negotiating table,” Lula said in a joint press conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the Brazilian capital Brasília. He has already spoken to Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron about the initiative.
The left-wing politician brought himself into play as an intermediary to talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or Russian President Vladimir Putin – as well as China. “Our Chinese friends play a very important role in this,” he said. “It’s time for China to get involved.” Meanwhile, Scholz emphasized that there should be no peace over the heads of the Ukrainians. Peace talks are always tied to the condition that Russia withdraws its troops.
Lula also blames Selenskyj
Lula once again criticized Ukrainian President Zelensky for his stance on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. “I think Russia made the classic mistake of invading another country’s territory,” he said. “But I still think, ‘If one doesn’t want to, two don’t fight.'”
At the UN General Assembly in March last year, Argentina, Brazil and Chile were among the 141 countries that condemned Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Today’s Brazilian President Lula was noticed in May 2022 – a few months before his election – with criticism of Zelenskyj. “This guy is just as responsible for the war as Putin,” Lula told Time magazine. It is irresponsible for Western leaders to celebrate Zelenskyy instead of focusing on negotiations behind closed doors. “We encourage this guy – and then he thinks he’s the icing on the cake.”
No cheetah ammo
Lula turned down requests for armaments for Ukraine. Ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft tanks delivered from Germany to Ukraine or for Leopard tanks will not be made available, he said in an interview with Scholz. “Brazil has no interest in transferring the munitions to be used in the Ukraine-Russia war,” he said in a joint press conference. “Brazil is a country of peace. And that’s why Brazil doesn’t want any involvement in this war, not even indirectly.”
Germany has delivered 30 Gepard anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine and has pledged seven more. However, ammunition is scarce. A new factory of the armaments company Rheinmetall for the production of this ammunition is currently being built in Unterlüß near Celle in Lower Saxony. However, production is not scheduled to begin until June. The first batch is scheduled for delivery in July. As early as April last year – shortly after the start of the war – Germany had tried to get cheetah ammunition in Brazil and hoped for up to 300,000 rounds. It is now clear that nothing will come of it.