MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Putin seeks closeness to South America

Putin held a phone conversation with Lula and also with Argentine President Alberto Fernández to congratulate him on Argentina winning the football World Cup

Brazil's President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva held a telephone conversation Tuesday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Agencia Brasil reported.

Lula said on Twitter that Putin had expressed his interest in strengthening the relationship between the two countries. “Brazil is back, seeking dialogue with everyone and committed to the search for a world without hunger and with peace,” Lula wrote.

Putin is not expected to attend Lula's inauguration on Jan. 1, although Russia is one of Brazil's main trading partners, particularly through the BRICS bloc together with India, China, and South America.

Also trying to join BRICS is Argentina, and Putin was also quick to congratulate the South Americans on their World Cup football victory in Qatar. Putin admitted he had watched Sunday's final ”from the moment when the score was already 2-2.”

“I watched extra time. Then, of course, I couldn’t resist calling the president [of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez] to congratulate him,” Putin also told reporters in Minsk.

He added that Argentina was a true “football country” in every sense, adding that the population “love their players, including the leaders. I think they deserved this victory.”

“There was such drama, they fought until the very last second. They fought very worthily. But the strongest [team] won,” the sportscaster in Putin went on.