“I see the Ukrainian president being applauded standing by all the Parliaments (of the world). But this guy is as responsible as Putin. A war never has a single culprit”, declared the favorite of the presidential election of October in Brazil .
“He wanted war. If he didn’t want it, he would have negotiated a little more,” he added.
Lula also found Mr Zelensky’s behavior “strange”: “it looks like he’s part of a show. He’s on TV morning, noon and night, in the English, French, German parliament, as if he’s was campaigning. He should be more concerned about the negotiating table.”
The icon of the Brazilian left has also accused Western powers of “inciting hatred against Putin”.
“If you stimulate Zelensky, he himself thinks he’s the best. In fact, he should have been told seriously: ‘boy, you’re a good comedian, but we’re not going to make a war so that you can put on a show. And tell Putin. ‘You have plenty of weapons, but you don’t need to use them against Ukraine. Let’s talk!'”, he insisted.
Lula, 76, who presided over Brazil for two terms from 2003 to 2010, points the finger at US President Joe Biden who he says has “not made the correct decision” about the conflict in Ukraine.
“The United States has a very significant weight and could have avoided the conflict (…). Biden could have participated more, he could have flown to Moscow and talked to Putin. It’s that kind of attitude expected of a leader,” said the Brazilian.
The UN also took it for its rank. “There is an urgent need to create a new global governance. The UN no longer represents anything, it is no longer taken seriously by the leaders. Putin invaded Ukraine unilaterally, without consulting the UN”, a- he lamented.
From the start of the war in Ukraine, the Brazilian left took an ambiguous position, condemning the Russian invasion on the one hand, but holding NATO responsible on the other.