On Saturday, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva remarked that the US should stop “encouraging” the conflict in Ukraine.

To persuade Putin and Zelensky that peace is in the interests of everyone and that war is currently only interesting to them, Lula told reporters in Beijing, “The United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace; the European Union needs to start talking about peace.”

Lula also disclosed that he discussed creating a coalition of leaders who share his views on Ukraine with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their conversations.

“I have a notion that I have already defended with Macron, German Olaf Scholz, Biden, and we had a lengthy discussion with Xi Jinping yesterday. In order to achieve peace, a group of nations must be assembled, according to Lula.

Following Russia’s invasion, the US and EU have been key providers of armaments and assistance to Ukraine.

As long as Russian President Vladimir Putin is in office, peace negotiations, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, are off the table.

Lula was in Beijing on Friday to meet with Xi Jinping in an effort to repair the strained ties between China and Brazil that existed under former President Jair Bolsonaro.

However, it also reflects a growing distancing from the geopolitical concerns dominating Western thought.

While much of the diplomatic discourse in Europe and Washington has been dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Lula’s trip to China is primarily focused on trade, how Chinese investment might help Brazil’s economy get back on track, and the potentially lucrative world of carbon credits.

Like many leaders of poor and middle-income nations, Lula has chosen not to intervene in the conflict in Ukraine, rejecting efforts by US Vice President Joe Biden to galvanize the international community against Russia’s invasion.

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