Volodymyr Zelenskiy and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil failed to hold one-on-one talks while attending a summit in Japan, even as Ukraine seeks to engage countries in the Global South on taking a harder line against Russia for its war.
(Bloomberg) — Volodymyr Zelenskiy and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil failed to hold one-on-one talks while attending a summit in Japan, even as Ukraine seeks to engage countries in the Global South on taking a harder line against Russia for its war.
“I met almost everyone, all the leaders. All of them have their own schedules, that is why we couldn’t meet with the Brazilian president,” the Ukrainian president told reporters on Sunday in Hiroshima at a briefing on the sidelines of the Group of Seven meeting. Asked if he was disappointed, Zelenskiy replied: “I think it disappointed him.”
Bloomberg earlier reported the two presidents would not end up meeting. Lula’s press office declined to comment on the Ukrainian leader’s comments.
Brazilian officials had initially warned that Lula was unnerved by Zelenskiy’s unannounced trip to Japan, and felt pressured into having a meeting on the sidelines of the G-7 gathering that ended on Sunday. But they later said they’d offered Zelenskiy’s team at least two slots on Sunday afternoon.
The reasons for the change of plans were unclear, but officials familiar with the matter cited scheduling issues.
Both presidents took part in group sessions on Sunday, and ahead of the press event the Ukrainian leader visited a memorial commemorating those who died in a nuclear bomb explosion in 1945.
The Ukraine leader had traveled to Japan in part to meet face-to-face with leaders from the so-called Global South, which includes Lula, and rally support for his nation’s efforts to resist Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
As opposed to G-7 countries, Brazil has taken a more neutral stance on the war in Ukraine, arguing at times that Zelenskiy, the US and European countries shared blame for Putin’s invasion. Lula has softened his stance in recent weeks, however, toning down some comments and dispatching a top aide to Kyiv.
Zelenskiy held meetings with several other invited guests, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India and Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, as well as with the G-7 leaders.
–With assistance from Rosalind Mathieson and Isabel Reynolds.
(Updates with quotes from Ukrainian president)
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