French President Emmanuel Macron is seeking to convince his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to support Ukraine during his trip to Brazil, Bloomberg reported on March 26.
Macron begins a three-day trip to Brazil on March 26, marking the first time a French president has visited the country in 11 years.
"High on his agenda will be an attempt to convince Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to take a stand on the war," Bloomberg reported.
"The French leader is betting that his differences with Lula over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine can be narrowed," Bloomberg said, citing unnamed French officials.
While Macron recently established himself as one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine, Lula has long tried to position himself as a mediator in the conflict and Brazil as a neutral party.
Bloomberg highlighted that Lula has repeatedly rejected arming Ukraine and "considers that the two sides share the blame for the war."
Lula reportedly declined a request from President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet in Argentina in December 2023, as both leaders were attending the inauguration of Javier Milei, Argentina's new president.
Zelensky and Lula last met on Sept. 20, 2023 in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
During a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in January 2023, Lula said that Russia made a mistake invading Ukraine but refused to condemn the full-scale invasion.
Months later, Lula suggested that Ukraine should be open to the idea of giving up Crimea in exchange for peace with Russia.
Martin Fornusek
