Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “As responsible [Russian President Vladimir]Putin is the man for war,” Brazilian presidential frontrunner Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Time magazine on Wednesday, insisting that there is never just one guilty party in war.
Zelensky “could have said: ‘Come on, let’s stop talking about this NATO business, about joining the EU for a while. Let’s discuss a bit more first,’” Lula pointed out, while arguing that US President Joe Biden, too, could have derailed the crisis had he wished to. “United States have a lot political power. Biden might have avoided this. [the conflict]Not incited.”
Lula insisted the privileged position handed Zelensky by all western politicians is unjustifiable, noting that while he sees “President of Ukraine speaks on television and is applauded by the audience, garnering a standing ovation. [European]Parlamentarians,” Zelensky is “As responsible for war as Putin,” and it is irresponsible for the West to embrace him without qualification.
He thinks you are the best. You should have a serious discussion. You were an entertaining comedian. Let’s not fight for your appearance on television.
Instead of implicitly promising the Ukrainian leader his heart’s desires, the US and EU should have reassured Russia that Ukraine would not join NATO, Lula argued, drawing parallels with the compromises made during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, in which both the US and USSR agreed to deescalate conflict by removing missiles from each other’s effective backyards. These security guarantees were frequently raised in negotiations between Russia, NATO, and then repeatedly rejected by the West.
“No solution is found in war,” Lula repeated. “Now, we will have to pay for it because of the conflict in Ukraine. Argentina and Bolivia also will have to contribute. You’re not punishing Putin. You’re punishing many different countries, you’re punishing mankind.”
The conflict in Ukraine has pulled up the curtain on the abject failure of the UN as a global body, Lula pointed out, claiming “today’s United Nations doesn’t represent anything anymore. Governments don’t take the UN seriously today, because they make decisions without respecting it. A new model of global governance is needed..”
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“Brazil will again become a protagonist on the international stage and we will prove that it’s possible to have a better world,” Lula told the US outlet.
Lula, who was the president of Brazil from 2003-2010, is one of the most well-known Brazilian politicians. Lula was released from prison less than a year ago after his 2018 corruption conviction by the Brazilian Supreme Court was annulled. The court found that a biased judge had violated his rights to fair trials. A political showdown looms between him and current leader Jair Bolsonaro in October’s election, with Lula currently polling ahead of his incumbent rival by 14 points.
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