Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday he had a phone call with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and reaffirmed his willingness to establish peace talks with both sides of the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin confirmed the call and said Putin told Lula that Russia is open to dialogue over Ukraine. Lula has pitched himself as a peace broker to end the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. His proposal, based on Brazil’s tradition of non-intervention and neutrality, calls for a group of nations not involved in the war to engage both Russia and Ukraine in talks. The leftist leader was expected to meet with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Japan this month, but the meeting fell through because of scheduling.

Source: Bueno Aires Herald May 26, 2023 17:18 UTC