Brazilian President Lula da Silva proposed in his Jan. 30 joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, that a group of nations come forward together help Russia and Ukraine find a path towards peace.
Lula insisted, forcefully, in answer to two separate questions, that the world needs peace. His proposal, which he said he had discussed with Scholz and with France’s Emmanuel Macron, and intends to discuss with others, is, that in the same way that the G20 was formed in 2008 in order to find a way to get out of the financial crisis, now a group of nations could be formed to discuss how to find peace between Russia and Ukraine. When he met with Lula Jan. 2, the day after his inauguration, East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta had proposed to Lula that he convene a group of other nations of the Global South which together could host peace talks for this conflict. Ramos-Horta reported that Lula said he would consider it. He has now acted.
We need “a club of people who want to achieve peace on the planet…. My suggestion is that we create a group of countries, who sit down at the table with Ukraine and Russia to try to find peace. To try to reach an end to the war…. What we have to do is form a group strong enough to be respected at a negotiating table—and sit down with both sides,” Lula told the press on Monday, with the then-stone-faced German Chancellor listening. “A G20 to deal with the question of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine…. Because these are the kinds of things that, once started, no one knows how to stop.”
He specified that “Brazil is ready to make a contribution. I believe China can make an important contribution. I think India can play an important role. I think Indonesia can play an important role… What we have to do is form a group strong enough to be respected at a negotiating table—and sit down with both sides.”
Lula made clear that he believes China has an “extremely” important role to play in such talks, which he said he wants to discuss with President Xi Jinping when he goes to China, probably in March.
