The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known affectionately as Lula, has expressed profound fatigue in humanity due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Lula conveyed this sentiment during his visit to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi.
In his address at a press briefing, Lula commended the G20 nations for issuing a collective statement, where Brazil is believed to have played a pivotal role.
Regarding the Russia-Ukraine crisis, Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, revealed, “On the Russia-Ukraine crisis, India worked very closely with Brazil, South Africa, and Indonesia. I want to say that it was the emerging markets which played a very key role. There was very tough, very ruthless negotiations for several days non-stop.”
Brazil is set to assume the presidency of the G20 on December 1, and Lula expressed his hopes that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin would attend the G20 Summit in Brazil in 2024.
The G20 nations achieved consensus on a joint declaration after resolving disputes regarding the language related to the Ukraine conflict. Lula has been a staunch advocate of a coalition of neutral countries advocating for peace in the war. Furthermore, he called upon the United States to shift its focus from encouraging conflict to promoting peace, a statement that drew a sharp response from the U.S., accusing the Brazilian president of echoing Russian and Chinese propaganda.
During his press briefing, Lula also called for reforms in international institutions. India and Brazil, along with Japan and Germany, form the G4 group of countries, advocating for an expansion of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and supporting each other’s bids for a permanent UNSC seat.
Lula remarked on India’s significant initiative launched during the G20 – the Global Biofuel Alliance, stating, “What happened at G20 is more important than the money spent in organizing it. The global biofuel alliance is one great initiative, so we should say India invested the money, not spent the money.”
He also discussed the prospect of including additional groups within the G20, particularly highlighting the presence of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico. Additionally, the African Union became a permanent member of the G20 in 2023.
