By Burc Eruygur
ISTANBUL (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday expressed his gratitude to Brazil and China’s leadership for their “sincere desire to make a constructive contribution” to finding ways to resolve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
A statement by the Kremlin said Putin’s remarks came during a phone call with his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who made a “technical stop” in Russia's capital Moscow on his way back from a four-day state visit to Beijing.
The statement said Lula apprised Putin about his visit to China, stressing that he paid particular attention to the joint statement adopted by Beijing and Brasilia in support of Putin’s proposal to resume direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on Thursday.
“The Brazilian president intends to do everything in his power to ensure their success,” the statement went on to say, noting that Lula thanked Putin for the warm welcome he received during a visit to Moscow last week.
“The heads of state reaffirmed their commitment to further comprehensive development of the Russian-Brazilian strategic partnership, which was given new impetus by the talks they held in Moscow on May 9,” it added.