Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday called for a plan of talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict, a proposal that has already been rejected by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Reuters reports, UNN writes.
Details
Lula, who spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone about the proposal, did not give any details of the six-point plan in his speech at the opening of the UN General Assembly.
His foreign policy adviser, Celso Amorim, will seek support for the plan from representatives of 20 countries when they meet in New York on Friday, Brazilian diplomats said.
Zelenskyy rejected the proposal as "destructive" and insisted that his summit initiative was the only viable peace format.
The Sino-Brazilian proposal, which was made public in May after Amorim's visit to Beijing, calls for de-escalation and the resumption of direct dialogue without demanding that Russia retreat, the publication notes.
Friday's meeting will reportedly be attended by countries from the Global South, but not by representatives of European governments, which are Ukraine's staunchest supporters. "Among the invitees are Colombia, Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates," the newspaper writes.
"The goal is to listen to what these countries have to offer, to create a critical mass and to consider these points," a Brazilian official told Reuters. - "Many countries want to listen, including the Europeans.