11 September 2024. On Saturday, the president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the Group of 20 Summit 2024 in Rio de Janeiro.
When interviewed by the news show Firstpost on the outside of the G20 conference in Delhi, Lula stated that Putin would be welcomed to the event the following year, adding that he personally intended to attend a BRICS meeting of developing nations scheduled to take place in Russia prior to the Rio meeting.
Putin won’t be arrested if he visits Brazil for the event in November 2024, according to Lula, who is positioning himself as a bridge between Moscow and Kyiv. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Criminal Court filed a warrant for Vladimir Putin’s arrest in March 2024, charging war crimes.
As a signatory nation, Brazil is obligated to assist with International Criminal Court’s activities and investigations, which may include the arrest of the people court has designated as a lawbreaker. Putin chose not to attend the BRICS Summit last month in South Africa which is thought to be motivated by the concerns about the ICC’s arrest warrant.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has participated in the G20 meeting in India in Putin’s place. Putin has a continuously skipped several international events since March.
In March, Putin faced an arrest warrant against him regarding the alleged war crimes during Ukraine invasion. He was accused of forcibly transporting children against their will from Ukraine to Russia. However, Russia has denied all accusations concerning the abduction of children or commiting any war crime.
Lula stated that President Putin would be welcomed with open arms at the Rio summit despite Brazil’s obligation to the ICC charter and emphasized that the gathering will emit a “atmosphere of peace.” When asked about Brazil’s duties to the ICC, Lula maintained with assurance that Vladimir Putin would not be detained.
The West Criticized Lula for Being Neutral
Western officials have criticised Lula for not taking a side in the situation in Ukraine and accuse him of ignorantly replicating Chinese and Russian propaganda. Lula has been invited to travel to Ukraine to see personally how “Russian aggression” has affected that nation.
Lula says in defence of his neutrality strategy that certain nations must uphold objectivity if genuine peace is to be achieved. He acknowledges the unjustified US invasion of Iraq and the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine. Lula emphasises Brazil’s consistent rejection to any invasion, underlining his dedication to peace.
Lula, who previously accused the US of promoting the conflict and declined to provide weapons to Kyiv, defends which he considers his approach of neutrality, claiming that only a few nations remaining impartial can bring about peace.
Notably, the Colombian author Héctor Abad Faciolince expressed dissatisfaction with Lula’s stance after witnessing the fatal wounding of Ukrainian novelist, named Victoria Amelina after a Russian missile attack in July. Despite this, Lula is persistent in his opinion that neutrality is crucial for promoting world peace and stability.
Diplomatic tensions, international cooperation, and crisis leadership will all continue to play an essential part in determining how international relations are formed during the upcoming G20 conference in Rio de Janeiro.
