Ukraine hits out at Brazil’s Lula: Come here to grasp ‘real causes’ of war

A Ukrainian official on Tuesday invited Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit the country himself to “understand the real causes and essence of Russian aggression.”

Lula sparked controversy among Ukrainian allies at the weekend, by urging the United States to “stop encouraging” the war in Ukraine.

“The approach that puts the victim and the aggressor on the same scale and accuses countries that help Ukraine defend itself against deadly aggression of encouraging war is not in line with the real state of affairs,” said Oleg Nikolenko, spokesperson for the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

“The war of aggression is being waged on Ukrainian soil and is causing untold suffering and destruction,” he added.

During a visit to China last week, Lula added that the U.S. and the EU should “start talking about peace.”

This, the Brazilian president said, would help “convince Putin and Zelenskyy that peace is in the interest of everyone and that war is only interesting, for now, to the two of them,” according to CNN.

Nikolenko said Ukraine “does not need to be convinced of anything” and remained “committed to ending Russian aggression.”

Lula’s comments are the latest in a series of remarks made by Brazil’s president on the war since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, before he officially became a presidential candidate. He has repeatedly caused consternation amongst Ukraine’s Western allies, which have united in support of Kyiv against Moscow’s aggression.

In January, during a visit from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Lula said Kyiv and Moscow shared blame for the war, and that what triggered the conflict was not clear. “Is it because of NATO? Is it because of territorial claims? Is it because of entry into Europe? The world has little information about that,” Lula said.

Yet the Brazilian president’s anti-Western narrative about the war is well-received in Global South countries, which have also been targeted by the Kremlin’s disinformation tactics.