UN Meeting Between Lula, Zelenskiy Aims to Defuse Brazil-Ukraine Tension

Bloomberg — Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will meet with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time this week in New York in an attempt to bridge differences about Russia’s war.

The long-awaited bilateral will occur Wednesday at 4 p.m. on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to Lula’s official agenda. Zelenskiy is expected to renew his efforts to convince Global South nations to take a firmer stance against Russia over its ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

VIEW +

Latin America’s 500 Most Influential People in 2023

Bloomberg Línea presents its 2023 List of the 500 Most Influential Figures in Latin America and the Caribbean, including 282 new names

Zelenskiy’s spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov was not immediately available to comment.

The meeting will be one of the highlights of UNGA’s week given the recent history of disagreements between two of the world’s most high-profile political leaders. Since taking office in January, Lula has sought to position his nation as a neutral arbiter in the conflict, a move that has been derailed by his initial insistence that Zelenskiy, the US and European Union shared blame for the war.

Lula held a video call with Zelenskiy in March and dispatched his top foreign policy adviser to Kyiv two months later. But the pair has not met in person, and their last attempt to hold one-on-one talks fell through at May’s Group of Seven summit in Japan amid crossed acrimony.

VIEW +

Following Leadership in Corn and Soy Exports, Brazil Eyes Cotton Expansion

The US and Brazil are the world’s biggest cotton exporters, accounting together for more than half of the global supply

Many nations from the so-called Global South have remained skeptical of US and European efforts to ramp up pressure on Russia, with prominent leaders including India’s Narendra Modi refusing to condemn Vladimir Putin over the February 2022 invasion. Brazil has not joined international sanctions against Moscow under Lula or his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.

Earlier this month, Lula said Putin would be free to travel to Brazil for next year’s Group of 20 summit in Rio de Janeiro despite an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court over alleged war crimes, a statement that was seen by the president’s rivals as proof he can’t be a neutral arbiter in the conflict. Lula later backtracked the remarks, saying the decision would be up to Brazilian courts.

VIEW +

Moody’s Ups Growth Forecast for Latin America, Fueled by Mexico’s Momentum

The robust performance of the region’s second-largest economy in the first half of the year has prompted the credit rating agency to revise its growth projections upward

--With assistance from Daryna Krasnolutska.

Read more at Bloomberg.com