MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula wants BRICS to broker ceasefire in Ukraine

Lula also insisted Bolsonaro was isolating Brazil from the world

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who leads all polls to return to the Planalto Palace after the October elections, met with Russia's Ambassador to Brasilia Alexei Labetski and suggested the BRICS group the two countries share with India, China and South Africa should broker a cease-fire in Ukraine.

 Lula has insisted on the role of BRICS in the search for a solution to the war in Ukraine and has already met with foreign diplomats at the home of his lawyer Cristiano Zanin in São Paulo, according to Folha de São Paulo.

In late July, Lula spoke with ambassadors from Russia, India, and South Africa about Eastern Europe. He intended to meet all BRICS delegates but China's mission in Brasilia is without an ambassador. Ambassadors Suresh Reddy of India and Vusi Mavimbela of South Africa did take part in the meeting.

Lula also discussed the issue with ambassadors from Germany, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Poland.

The former head of state is conveying to key players in the international arena some of the guidelines of a possible new government. Lula insisted the incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro had isolated Brazil from the world, particularly after his meeting in Moscow with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in February, a week before the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.

In the meeting with BRICS countries, he asked Labetski about the reasons for the war from Russia's point of view, and which countries could influence the negotiation of a possible ceasefire. He also questioned why BRICS was not engaged in trying to mitigate the effects of the war, since Russia is part of the bloc.

Lula is committed to showing himself as a leader who seeks to work for peace, According to Folha. He also discussed the European Union's trade agreement with Mercosur and Brazil's accession process to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).