Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that he would personally urge Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend peace negotiations with Ukraine scheduled this week in Istanbul, Türkiye, according to CNN.
The announcement came during a press conference in Beijing, China. Lula also plans to push for a 30-day ceasefire in the ongoing war.
“When I stop in Moscow, I will try to talk to Putin. It costs me nothing to say: ‘Hey, comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate, damn it,'” Lula said.
The request originated from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who asked Brazil to use its influence with the Kremlin.
“When I was arriving in Moscow, Minister Mauro Vieira had received a phone call from Ukraine’s foreign minister, saying he would like me to ask Putin if he was willing to make a peace agreement,” Lula explained.
The Brazilian president said he conveyed this message directly to Putin during a bilateral dinner in Moscow. “The first thing I said to Putin was: ‘I have a message from Zelenskyy to know if you would accept a 30-day truce,'” Lula said. According to him, the Russian leader responded positively to discussing the topic: “Putin said verbatim: ‘I agree to discuss this.'”
Lula added that Putin advocated for resuming talks based on the terms discussed in the 2022 Istanbul agreement. “Now we needed to have a ceasefire and start discussing from the agreement we were making in Istanbul,” he continued.
The Brazilian president emphasized that Brazil supports dialogue and multilateralism as paths to peace in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
The upcoming negotiations in Türkiye on 15 May could be the first direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow since 2022. Putin had proposed resuming direct negotiations with Ukraine “without any preconditions.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insisted on establishing a “silence regime” first. Ukraine, together with allies including France, Germany, Great Britain, and Poland, have called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting 12 May. The United States made a similar proposal.
Zelenskyy said that he would personally wait for Putin. However, Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to name the Russian representatives who would attend the peace talks in Türkiye.
Meanwhile, the Washington Post, citing a source, reported that Russia would be represented by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.
Earlier, Lula visited Moscow to attend celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II. He participated in a dinner reception with Putin and attended a parade.
Brazilian President Lula condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but maintained neutrality, opposing sanctions and military aid. He urged peace talks, criticized Western arms supplies to Ukraine for prolonging the war, and suggested negotiations may require compromises. Lula positioned earlier Brazil as a mediator focused on peace rather than taking sides.
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