Brazilian President Rejects Russia Sanctions... "Ukraine Entrusted Fate to Comedian"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Jair Bolsonaro, President of Brazil, criticized Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine, while refusing to impose sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

On the 27th (local time), CNN reported that President Bolsonaro stated at a press conference that "Brazil will take a neutral stance on Ukraine" and added, "The fate of a country has been entrusted to a comedian (by the Ukrainian people)."

He also pointed out that Brazil depends on Russian fertilizer and that measures against Russia could harm Brazilian agriculture. He added, "We support peace, but we do not want to cause more problems for Brazil."

When asked about the possibility of massacres in Ukraine during the conference, President Bolsonaro said, "Talking about massacres is an exaggeration," and defended Russia's move to recognize the pro-Moscow separatist regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine as independent countries.

Earlier, on the 16th, President Bolsonaro visited Moscow and held a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Brazilian president's remarks came after the United Nations Security Council decided to hold an emergency meeting today to discuss Russia's invasion. Brazil voted in favor of holding the meeting, Russia voted against it, and India, China, and the UAE abstained.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.