Only neutral countries can bring peace to Ukraine - Brazil

Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told RIA Novosti that several countries are willing to join his nation’s peace efforts

Brazil is against weapons deliveries to either party in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira has said. The diplomat also predicted that peace would eventually be achieved with the help of nations which have not taken sides, such as Brazil and African countries.

In an interview with Russia’s RIA Novosti published on Monday, Vieira stressed that Brasilia has consistently voiced its opposition to arms shipments to Kiev and Moscow.

According to the diplomat, “several countries are ready to join” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s peace efforts. The minister cited the initiatives recently put forward by a group of African nations.

“This will take time, but it’s precisely this that will lead to peace which we are striving for,” Vieira insisted.

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While on an official visit to Rome last month, President Lula argued that Russia and Ukraine both need to compromise to end the conflict.

“The two parties both need to get something. Only the Russians and the Ukrainians know what they need to reach peace,” he said at the time.

The Brazilian head of state also called into question the EU’s capacity for mediation, arguing that the bloc is effectively involved in the conflict. Lula went on to name India, Mexico, and African nations as potential neutral peace brokers.

Moscow has blamed Kiev for the lack of peace negotiations, pointing out that last year Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky signed a decree that rules out talks for as long as his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, remains in power.

The Ukrainian government insists it will only negotiate after driving Russian forces out from all territories within its 1991 borders. Zelensky has proposed a peace plan of his own, which calls for a Russian withdrawal, reparations, and a tribunal for alleged war criminals.

Moscow has rejected the idea, describing it as detached from reality.