Putin hosts leader of Brazil for talks amid Ukraine crisis
India Today
Amid the Ukraine crisis, Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro in Moscow for talks on Wednesday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday hosted his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro for talks in Moscow and hailed ties between the two countries, which he described as consisting of “friendship and mutual understanding”.
Bolsonaro's first trip to Russia came at a point of soaring tensions between Moscow and the West fuelled by fears that Russia plans to invade Ukraine, and he went ahead with it despite doubts Brazilian and US officials expressed about its timing.
The two leaders didn't mention Ukraine or Russia's demands for security guarantees precluding NATO expansion eastward during their opening remarks or the news conference after the talks.
Photos of their meeting in the Kremlin showed the presidents sitting close to each other, with a small end table between them. Putin's recent meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholtz featured a several metre-long table, which Kremlin officials ascribed to coronavirus precautions.
Read | US and Nato say Russia is building up troops near Ukraine, not withdrawing
After the meeting, Putin told a news conference that he and Bolsonaro had “thorough, constructive talks”.
“Russia and Brazil are traditionally united by relations of friendship and mutual understanding. The strategic partnership between our countries covers a variety of areas. We jointly strive to develop political, economic and humanitarian ties, we closely cooperate on the international stage,” Putin said.
