Bolsonaro to 'adopt neutral stance on Ukraine', refuses to sanction Russia over invasion

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday criticised Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and said that Brasília would "adopt a neutral stance on Ukraine''. He also said that Brazil would not sanction Russia over the ongoing developments in Ukraine. Addressing the press while on a vacation, Bolsonaro said, "Ukrainians had "trusted a comedian with the fate of a nation" while referring to Zelensky who was an actor and a comedian. 

Further, refusing any action against Russia, Bolsonaro said that any measure against Moscow "could bring serious harm to agriculture in Brazil" and added "we don't want to bring more problems to Brazil." Additionally when Bolsonaro was questioned about a possible massacre in Ukraine, he said that "it was "an exaggeration to speak of massacre".

Bolsonaro's remarks came as the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is set to convene for a special session on Russia's "aggression" in Ukraine. The UN Security Council, on Sunday, voted for the 193-member General Assembly to hold an emergency session on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 28, Monday.

On Sunday, India abstained from a procedural vote taken in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the UN General assembly (UNGA) to call for a rare special emergency session on Monday over the Russia-Ukraine war. The resolution, however, was adopted with 11 votes in favour allowing the 163-member UNGA to hold the meeting over Russia’s military aggression. While Russia voted against the resolution, India, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) abstained. UNSC had met on Sunday afternoon to vote on the UNGA emergency session which will now take place on Monday at 10 AM (local time). 

352 people killed in Ukraine due to Russian invasion

At least 352 Ukrainian civilians have died in the Russian invasion including 14 children, said Ukraine’s Interior Ministry on Monday, adding that around 1,684 people, including 116 children, have been injured. Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24  announced the launch of a ‘special’ military operation in Ukraine, saying that the forces would ‘demilitarise’ the neighbouring nation without hitting civilian targets. However, Ukraine’s armed forces, which is significantly smaller than Russia, has repeatedly posted about the damage to residential buildings and civilian casualties as the ‘enemy’ troops continue to attack for the fifth day in a row.   

(Image: AP)