Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro left his country on Monday February 14 for Russia, where he is expected on Tuesday, for a controversial visit in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis.
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Brasília at the same time tried to reassure Kiev via a telephone conversation between Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos França and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. Carlos France “listened to the update on the situation on the border between Ukraine and Russia made by his counterpart”and “reiterated the Brazilian position in favor of a peaceful solution”said the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Despite rising tensions in Ukraine, President Bosonaro confirmed this visit, which Washington was unable to prevent and the timing of which raised questions and perplexity. For analysts, the trip of the far-right president – who is also due to visit the Hungary of his ally Viktor Orban on Thursday – could hardly have come at a worse time, and responds to domestic political concerns.
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Jair Bolsonaro replied that his country, a major agricultural producer and exporter, “largely depends on fertilizers from Russia”, to justify this trip centered on bilateral themes such as agriculture, energy or defence. The invitation launched by Moscow at the end of November, when tensions were already setting in, will therefore be honored despite the specter of war: the Brazilian president should be received at the Kremlin on Wednesday by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, a “strong man” whom he admires.
Westerners and Moscow spoke on Monday of a chance for a diplomatic outcome to avert the risk of a war in Ukraine, the United States believing that Vladimir Putin had not taken his “final decision” on the outbreak of an invasion. In a context of heightened tensions, Washington however tempered this hope by saying that Moscow had further strengthened its military capacities on the borders of Ukraine during the weekend, where more than 100,000 soldiers have been massed for weeks.