US says Brazil "parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda" on Ukraine war
On Monday, 17 April, the White House sharply criticised Brazil after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that the United States is encouraging war in Ukraine during a trip to China.
Source: NDTV citing John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the US National Security Council, during a press conference
Quote from Kirby: "In this case, Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all looking at the facts."
Details: Lula said that "the United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace. The European Union needs to start talking about peace" during his visit to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Saturday, 15 April.
NDTV said that this "echoed a line frequently used by Moscow and Beijing, which blame the West for the war, which began in February 2022 when Russian forces poured into Ukraine."
Brazil has not joined other Western countries in imposing sanctions on Russia and has refused to supply ammunition to Ukraine.
Kirby said Washington does not have "any objection to any country that wants to try to bring an end to the war".
"Obviously we want the war to end. That could happen right now, today, if Mr Putin [the Russian president] would stop attacking Ukraine and pull its troops out", Kirby said.
He added that the "most recent comments by Brazil that Ukraine should consider formally ceding Crimea as a peace concession is simply misguided, especially for a country like Brazil that has voted to uphold the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity [at the UN - ed.]."
Background:
- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has previously proposed that Ukraine cede the Crimean peninsula to Russia to put an end to the war.
- Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded stating that Ukraine will not barter its territories.
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