The President of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelenski, today accused Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of “agreeing with the narratives” of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, after the Brazilian president stated that neither Russia nor Ukraine want the peace “while people keep dying.
“I don’t know why it has to coincide with the narratives” of Putin, Zelenski said during an interview with EFE and several Latin American media in Kiev, when asked about the statements made this week by the Brazilian president.
Zelensky said that Putin “is no different from any colonizer,” saying that he “constantly lies and manipulates” and “is killing our children and raping our women.”
“I hope that (Lula) has his own opinion. It does not seem necessary to me that his thoughts coincide with the thoughts of President Putin,” added Zelenski, who stated that statements like those of the Brazilian leader “do not help to bring any peace.”
The Ukrainian head of state insisted on inviting Lula to meet with him to talk in person about what is happening in Ukraine, something to which the Brazilian president has not agreed for the moment.
“To be honest, if President Lula wants to tell me something, let him sit down (with me) and tell me,” Zelenski said, adding: “I thought he had a broader understanding of the world.”
The Brazilian president has been postulated on several occasions as a potential mediator between Ukraine and Russia. While Lula calls for the talks to start now under the current circumstances, Zelenski refuses to sit down to talk until Russia withdraws its troops from the territories it occupies in Ukraine.
On the other hand, Zelensky has asked for “patience” given the pace at which his country’s army’s counteroffensive is advancing, while stressing the importance of his troops having taken the initiative on the battlefield.
“We have to be patient if we want to win, and we do,” said the Ukrainian head of state.
“The counteroffensive is complicated and it is possible that it will be slower” than expected, Zelenski said when asked about the possible urgency of recovering territory more quickly in view of the 2024 elections in the United States, which could bring to the White House an Administration less willing to continue sending military aid.
Despite this, Zelenski highlighted as “a very positive fact” that Ukraine has gone “on the offensive” and has taken “the initiative” on the battlefield since the beginning of July, when the Kiev troops began their campaign. ground to recover territories occupied by Russia.
The Ukrainian leader also affirmed that, while in the eyes of the Ukrainians one can see “tiredness” after almost half a year of war, in those of the Russians one can see “fear” before the Ukrainian advance.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project