PRESIDENT Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York on Wednesday while they are attending the U.N. General Assembly, as announced by the Brazilian presidency.
Lula, who had advocated the creation of a group of countries to mediate an end to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, will hold its first in-person bilateral meeting with Zelenskyy while in New York.
To recall, both leaders had a video conversation last March, but they had strikingly different public summaries regarding what they discussed.
Zelenskyy underscored the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but Lula did not emphasize such a matter in his discussions on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Both leaders also failed to meet during the G7 Summit in Japan.
Zelensky at G7 Lula expressed disappointment at that time and said that Zelenskyy was late.
The Ukrainian president, on the other hand, played down the fact that he did not meet his Brazilian counterpart.
Lula has tried to play the role of a peacemaker in the Russia-Ukraine conflict since taking office on January 1.
While acknowledging that Ukraine has the right to defend itself, Lula has refused to join sanctions against Russia or send military aid to Ukraine.
He instead sought to mediate a diplomatic solution, although he criticized Western support for Ukraine as a way of prolonging the conflict.
It is highly expected that the Russia-Ukraine conflict will be discussed in the UN General Assembly this week, although other countries are also expected to pitch their concerns regarding poverty, inequality, increasing food prices, and the worsening climate emergency.
