President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Monday that a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during the G7 summit in Japan was not held because Zelenskiy was late and failed to show up for the meeting.
“The fact is very simple, there was a bilateral meeting with Ukraine here in this hall at 3.15pm. We waited and then we received information that they had been delayed, meanwhile I witnessed the President of Vietnam, and when the President of Vietnam left, Ukraine didn’t show up. He definitely had other commitments and couldn’t come here. That’s exactly what happened,” Lula said at a news conference in the Japanese city.
Earlier, the Ukrainian president downplayed the fact that he did not meet Lula during the G7 summit and said the meeting did not take place due to a scheduling problem.
Asked if he was disappointed that the fight didn’t take place, he told a news conference that it was Lula who should be disappointed.
“I think he was disappointed,” he replied with a smile, eliciting laughter from reporters.
In his press conference, Lula said he was not disappointed at not having met Zelenskiy, but rather “upset” because he wanted to discuss the conflict with him.
“But look, Zelenskiy is of age, he knows what he’s doing,” Lula said. “It didn’t work out, that’s all. But there will be plenty of opportunities for us to meet and talk.”
The president also said he was willing to meet with both Zelenskiy and Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, at the same time he said his special adviser on international affairs, Celso Amorim, told him there is currently no climate for discuss peace in Ukraine with the two leaders after the recent meeting with both.
“I feel that neither Putin nor Zelensky are talking about peace at the moment. It seems that both of them are convinced that someone will win and they don’t need to discuss peace. I am convinced that if peace is not discussed this war could last a very long time and I think it’s important for us to keep people from dying, and only peace will do that,” Lula said.
“At the moment it is necessary to meet Zelenskiy and meet Putin. I have no problem traveling to Ukraine and Russia but for now, from what I heard from my representative, it is not possible right now. So first we have to see when either he will want to discuss peace.’
Lula said he is trying to build a bloc of countries in the global south to create the conditions for peace talks and said he has discussed the issue with representatives of China, India and Indonesia.
“I listened carefully to Zelensky’s speech at the meeting, he certainly listened carefully to my speech at the meeting and I continue with the same position as before. I am looking with other countries, with India, with China, with Indonesia and other countries to try to build a bloc to attempt a policy of world peace,” he said.
“There is a group of countries in the South who want to find peace that the North is not able to. So there is a part that wants war and a part that wants peace. I hope that the part that wants peace bait winner.”
Lula again stated that Brazil condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said that Ukrainians have the right to defend their territory, at the same time he insisted on defending the creation of a bloc of countries not involved in the conflict to negotiate the end of war.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
