President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on a call about Ukraine's peace plan and diplomatic strategies to end Russian aggression.
Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Lula for backing Ukraine's UN resolution on peace and territorial integrity. During their conversation, Zelensky informed Lula about Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure and the devastating toll it has taken on innocent civilians, including children.
The two leaders also pledged to resume communication between their countries "at the highest level."
Lula has condemned Russia's war in Ukraine but repeatedly favored diplomatic solutions over supplying defense aid.
In a February interview with CNN, Lula acknowledged that Ukraine had the right to defend itself. However, he said that he rejected the request of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for Brazil to send ammunition to Ukraine.
"I don't want to join the war," Lula explained. "I want to end the war."
Previously, when Lula was still a presidential candidate, he implied that Russia was not solely to blame for the war. In an interview with Time Magazine from May 2022, he said, "what was the reason for the Ukraine invasion? NATO? Then the U.S. and Europe should have said: 'Ukraine won’t join NATO.' That would have solved the problem."
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