Lula da Silva and Joe Biden are set to be good friends, judging by their first meeting in Washington this Friday. In a 20-minute meeting they addressed issues such as the fight against climate change, the defense of democracy and the war in Ukraine.
Before the meeting with his counterpart, the Brazilian made it clear in an interview with CNNthat the Russian invasion of Ukraine last year was pointless.
“Brazil is opposed, I am opposed. It has no reason to be. It was a Russian mistake, also because Russia is part of the Security Council,” said the president, who took office for the third time on January 1.
“My dilemma is to end the war. I am not going to send ammunition because if I do, I am getting involved in the war,” she pointed out.
After the meeting with Biden, in a press conference with Brazilian journalists, he revealed that both agreed to seek more global support for peace efforts.
“I spoke to Biden the same thing that I already told the leaders of France and Germany. We have to look to a number of countries not directly involved in the Ukrainian war to achieve peace, ”he said.
“I felt that same concern in Biden: that of forming such a group to end the war. First we end the war and then we are going to negotiate!”
One aspect that the two presidents focused more deeply on was the protection of the Amazon. Lula said that she hopes that the United States will become more involved in the protection of this terrestrial lung and help create a world fund for its conservation. All within the framework of combating climate change.
Brazil is eager for more countries to contribute to an Amazon Fund initiated by Germany and Norway to support rainforest protection and sustainable development projects. The Biden administration is considering joining that project with $1.3 billion.
At the White House, Lula said that the Amazon jungle had been “invaded” under the previous administration. He added that he was committed to achieving zero deforestation by 2030.
Lula proposed the need for a collective climate effort. “We must have a governance with more authority, that other countries participate in the Security Council to make climate decisions more broadly.”
On the other hand, the president did not go into detail about the democracy issues that he discussed with Biden. But Brazilian diplomats consulted by the CNN/Brasil chain said that both established a parallel between the assault on the Capitol and the occupation of the Three Powers square in Brasilia a little over a month ago.
One of those sources specified that Biden stressed that the similarities are “creepy.” Lula added the need to draw lessons because “both Trump and Bolsonaro are the same.”
This aspect was highlighted in a draft joint statement, released in the morning, but omitted after the meeting. Possibly at the end the two parties are still refining the content, which specifies concern for the defense of democracy.
Biden has evoked the defense of democracy and the rule of law as shared values. The assault on the Capitol and the headquarters of the Government, the Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia just two years later, with scenes copied from the first, bring the two leaders closer, firm in their defense of democracy, the Spanish newspaper indicated. The country.
