The Russian Foreign Ministry took public note on Thursday of Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s offer to help mediate a peaceful resolution of the Ukraine war, leaving the door open to it, with the qualifier that Russia is considering it from the standpoint of “the situation `on the ground'.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin conveyed the message in an interview with TASS. Galuzin expressed Russia’s appreciation for the offer and for Brazil’s resistance to U.S. pressure to take sides in the war, with the above-noted caveat. Galuzin’s description of President Lula’s mediation offer is carefully formulated, reflecting Russia’s reading of the intent of the offer, more than President Lula’s own public discussion of his offer.
“We took note of the President of Brazil’s statements on the subject of possible mediation in order to find political ways to prevent escalation in Ukraine, correcting miscalculations in the field of international security on the basis of multilateralism, and considering the interests of all players. We are examining initiatives, mainly from the standpoint of Brazil’s balanced policy, and, of course, taking into consideration the situation ‘on the ground’,” Galuzin told TASS.
