BRASÍLIA (AFP) -- Brazil rejected U.S. criticism that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda on the Ukraine war as he held talks with Moscow’s top diplomat.
Lula’s meeting with Sergei Lavrov in Brasilia follows state visits to China and the Middle East, during which he said the United States should “stop encouraging war and start talking about peace” in Ukraine.
He also claimed that Kyiv shares the blame for the conflict, which began when Russian forces poured into Ukraine in February 2022.
In the Brazilian capital, Lavrov thanked Lula for his discussions last week on seeking to help mediate peace talks.
But Lula’s recent remarks on Ukraine sparked criticism from the White House, which has spearheaded a campaign to isolate Moscow and bolster Kyiv.
“In this case, Brazil is parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda without at all looking at the facts,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
He described Lula’s message on the war as “deeply problematic.”
Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, who had also met with his Russian counterpart, shot back, saying: “I don’t know how or why he reached that conclusion but I do not agree at all.”
G7 foreign ministers warned Tuesday that any nation helping Russia’s war effort would face “severe costs”.
Meeting in Japan, the top diplomats from the world’s leading economies pledged to crack down on those helping Russia evade sanctions and acquire weapons.
Brazil has not joined Western nations in imposing sanctions on Russia for its invasion, and has refused requests to supply ammunition to Ukraine.
“We are grateful to our Brazilian friends for their clear understanding of the genesis of the situation (in Ukraine). We are grateful for their desire to contribute to finding ways of settling this situation,” Lavrov said after meeting with his Brazilian counterpart.
“We are interested in resolving the conflict as soon as possible,” he added.
But he said that any solution would have to be based on “multipolarity,” accusing the West of “trying to dominate the international arena.”
Brazil is Lavrov’s first stop on a weeklong Latin American tour that will also include Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba -- countries with leftist governments hostile towards the United States.
Lavrov and Brazil’s Vieira said their talks had also focused on energy and trade.
About a quarter of agricultural powerhouse Brazil’s fertilizer imports come from Russia, while the two countries engaged in a record $9.8 billion in bilateral trade last year.