President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has sparked controversy by suggesting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should be “smart” and seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Russia.
The statement was made during a press conference at the United Nations (UN).
For international analyst Lourival Sant’Anna, Lula’s position implies that “being smart means giving up territory, it means not defending the sovereignty of one’s own country”.
The analyst argues that, following this logic, if Brazil were invaded, Lula would hand over the occupied territory, a conclusion he considers unacceptable.
Criticism of the proposal to freeze the conflict
Lourival also addressed the proposal, supported by Lula and originally presented by China, to freeze the current status of the conflict. This idea suggests accepting the Russian occupation of 20% of Ukrainian territory as a basis for peace negotiations.
The European Union’s ambassador in Brasilia, Marian Schuegraf, criticized this approach, saying it goes against the UN Charter and the decision of 141 countries at the UN General Assembly, which defended Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The analyst reinforced this point, highlighting that “if Russia stops the war, the war ends. If Ukraine stops the war, Ukraine ceases to exist.”
Questions about the Brazilian position
Lourival questions Lula’s legitimacy in advising Zelensky on how to deal with the invasion of his country.
He argues that the Brazilian president’s position is incompatible with the Brazilian Constitution, which defends the sovereignty not only of Brazil, but also of other countries.
Furthermore, Lourival emphasizes that at no time was Russia’s survival at risk, contesting the concern that Lula expressed about this aspect.
This content was originally published in Analysis: For Lula, being smart means not defending the sovereignty of one’s own country on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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