Brazil ready to broker negotiations with Russia & end Ukraine war, says Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday said that Brazil is willing to broker negotiations for a truce between Russia and Ukraine and find a resolution to the seven months long military conflict. Bolsonaro pressed for the urgency for a ceasefire between the two warring nations. He also denounced the West's coordinated sanctions and the economic isolation of its ally Moscow. Brazil's far-right leader, who will appear for reelection next month, also used the UNGA speech to highlight the merits of his governance. 

“We have tried to avoid blocking the channels of dialogue caused by the polarization around the conflict,” Bolsonaro said, addressing the UN General Assembly. “The consequences of the conflict are already being felt in world prices for food, fuel and other supplies. This impact puts us all against the goals of sustainable development.”

Brazil looks to step up bilateral trade with Russia

Brazilian President Bolsonaro, who has refrained from publicly condemning Russian military intervention in Ukraine had departed to meet with President Vladimir Putin just weeks after he launched Ukraine's invasion despite the warnings from the US.  Bolsonaro had held at least two meetings with Russia's Putin. The visit of Bolsonaro, his administration argued, was planned way ahead of the Ukrainian crisis. Bolsonaro has been mulling ramping up the bilateral trade with Russia, a key source of fertilizers for South America's agriculture powerhouse.  President of Brazil on one other occasion criticised the West's penalties against the Russian Federation, stressing that the sanctions "did not work" and instead had faltered. 

During his speech at the United Nations General Assembly which was focused on trade and economy, Bolsonaro reminded about the generous welfare program that his administration distributed to millions of Brazilians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme was renewed until late December to alleviate the financial crisis for Brazilian families. Bolsonaro also hailed his country's commitments to reduce the carbon footprint, saying that those countries that were once leaders in low carbon emissions had now turned to more polluting sources of energy.

“In spite of the global crisis, Brazil reached the end of 2022 with an economy in full recovery,” Bolsonaro told the UNGA, adding that the unemployment rate and inflation rate in Latin America’s largest nation was slumping.