Brazilian President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva, who had volunteered to mediate the Russia-Ukraine war, gave a negative assessment on the possibility of ending the Ukraine war at this point on the 2nd (local time).
According to major foreign media including AFP, President Lula said at a press conference with foreign reporters held in the capital Bras?lia that both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are "not ready (to conclude peace negotiations)" and that "a peace proposal will be prepared when both countries have the willingness to negotiate."
He added, "We are working hard with other countries to present a peace plan in preparation for when both countries want it."
Earlier, Lula had expressed his intention to form a 'peace group' led by neutral countries as a way to bring the two leaders or delegations together to discuss an end to the war.
He also criticized the lack of efforts to end the war by the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. President Lula said, "The UN Security Council has not functioned (as it should)," and pointed out the unfair use of veto power by permanent members, saying, "The United States invaded Iraq, France and the United Kingdom invaded Libya, and now it is Russia."
Furthermore, he argued that the Group of Seven (G7), a gathering of Western advanced countries, should no longer exist, and that discussions should be reorganized mainly around the Group of Twenty (G20).
Regarding several countries such as Venezuela and Iran, which are anti-American, as well as Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) exploring BRICS membership, he emphasized the need to allow new members "as long as they meet the requirements," while indirectly criticizing the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where Western countries exert significant influence.
He stressed, "The New Development Bank (BRICS Bank) should be more generous than the IMF," adding, "Because it is not a bank established to promote the collapse of a country as the IMF often does."
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