Lula turns down Putin's invitation to attend economic forum in Russia

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday declined Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation to attend the forthcoming International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg in June.

He reiterated his interest in brokering peace between Russia and Ukraine.

On Twitter, Lula said he had a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart.

"I have just spoken by telephone with the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. I thanked him for an invitation to go to the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg and replied that I cannot go to Russia at this time, but reiterated Brazil's willingness, together with India, Indonesia, and China, to talk to both sides of the conflict in search of peace," Lula wrote.

The Brazilian leader has emerged as a prominent figure on the international stage, actively advocating for a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the two nations.

While Lula has publicly denounced Putin's occupation of Ukrainian territory, he has made it clear that he will refrain from direct involvement in the conflict, including denying any provision of weaponry or military resources to the Ukrainian army.

Instead, he has advocated for the establishment of an international alliance similar to the G20 bloc, with the aim of facilitating peace talks between the warring countries.

Last weekend, Lula participated in a G7 summit of global leaders held in Hiroshima, Japan. Brazil's president had planned to meet with Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss peace efforts in Eastern Europe. However, the meeting between Zelenskyy and Lula did not materialize.

"It is only possible to discuss peace when Zelenskyy and Putin want to discuss peace. It is not possible to build a proposal in war. What we want is that first the war stops, the attacks stop, and we try to have a dialogue to find a negotiated way out for Ukraine and for Russia," said Lula during a press conference.