Brazil withdraws support for Ukraine 'peace club' proposal as Lula meets Zelenskyy in NYC

The Brazilian government has reversed its stance on the idea of forming a "peace club" to mediate in the ongoing war in Ukraine. This project, initially discussed by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva during his election campaign last year, had proposed the involvement of several major countries, including China, Turkey, India, the European Union, and the United States, in mediating potential peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira addressed the issue during a press conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. He clarified the Brazilian government's position, stating, "There was never a proposal for a 'peace club'; President Lula never proposed such a thing."

Vieira stated that their primary aim was to promote the possibility of discussing peace, and actual participation in negotiations would be a separate matter. He referenced their involvement in the Copenhagen process, a summit held in June in the Danish capital to explore ways to end the conflict.

Notably, Lula met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in New York on Wednesday.

Contradictory statements raise questions

Vieira's recent statements appear contradictory to his earlier remarks. In a previous interview with the Financial Times, the Brazil foreign minister not only acknowledged the "peace club" initiative but also highlighted Brazil President Lula's active efforts to assemble a coalition of countries for peace talks. He even mentioned China, India, the US, and the EU as potential mediators. These statements were widely reported, including in the Portuguese edition of China's People's Daily, the mouthpiece of the ruling Communist Party.

However, the "peace club" idea seemed to lose momentum before Lula's visit to China in April. During his trip, Lula had hoped to secure concrete Chinese support for the initiative, but sources indicated to SCMP that Chinese President Xi Jinping displayed no interest in involvement at that time. Although this account was not confirmed by senior adviser to Lula on foreign policy, Celso Amorim.

Lula's ongoing push for peace talks

Despite the official denial of a formal "peace club" proposal, Lula expressed his commitment to finding peaceful solutions to the Ukraine conflict. While departing from his New York hotel, he reiterated his suggestion to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy about assembling a group of "friendly countries" to craft a peace proposal. However, this time, he refrained from specifying which nations should be involved.

Lula highlighted the importance of negotiations, stating, "negotiating is much cheaper than war, there are no casualties, no deaths, and no shootings."