© AP Photo / Eraldo Peres
That's according to Brazilian broadsheet Folha de São Paulo, citing sources in the foreign ministry in Brasilia who say that American diplomats have expressed concern about the timing of Bolsonaro's trip to Moscow, supposedly fearing that it sends a message to Russia that Brazil supports the Kremlin's stance on Eastern Europe. Pressure to cancel the trip was reportedly exerted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday during a phone conversation with Carlos França, Brazil's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Washington's concern comes as Moscow stands accused of placing more than 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, with some alleging it is planning an attack. This claim has repeatedly been denied by the Kremlin, and it has also been played down by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
While much of the Western world is developing a possible sanctions regime in an attempt at deterrence, the US believes Bolsonaro's visit could destroy the image that Putin is isolated.
According to the newspaper, similar concern was expressed to Argentina's President Alberto Fernandez, who is due to visit Russia this week.
Washington's attempts to convince Brazil to put a pause on Bolsonaro's visit seems to have been in vain, however. On Monday, the president himself confirmed that he would be visiting Moscow, but also noted that he would not be bringing up the situation with Ukraine, noting that the visit is just about Russian-Brazilian relations.
On Monday, at a meeting of the UN Security Council, Brazilian Ambassador Ronaldo Costa Filho called on Russia and Ukraine to exercise maximum restraint and to engage constructively in talks aimed at resolving their differences, and encouraged Moscow and Kiev to implement the Minsk agreements.
Reader Comments
Lots of gray here as realist polticos play the balance of don't overly piss off Uncle Sam vs. we have our own interests.
“On this day, 79 years ago, the Battle of Stalingrad ended. The fighting lasted from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943. The battle on the Volga lasted 200 days and nights.
It was here that the fate of humanity was decided.
Saratov was a frontline city. Here, factories, factories, educational institutions, theaters were evacuated. Hospitals have been set up here. This is the largest city that was located in the immediate vicinity of the battlefield.
It is no coincidence that Hitler personally ordered the destruction of the Saratov factories that worked for the front: oil refinery and aviation. Over 7,000 bombs were dropped on the city. But the businesses continued to function.
In Volsk, the 212th Rifle Division was formed, which marched to Stalingrad and immediately went into battle. Few have returned home: the division suffered heavy losses: more than 6 thousand people died. In total, about 200 thousand residents of Saratov took part in the battle of Stalingrad.
The victory had a huge cost: more than a million dead soldiers. But it was she who determined the outcome of the Great Patriotic War and the entire Second World War.
From here, from the banks of the Volga, the attack on Berlin began. Even if there were still years of testing ahead.
The United States and England, then our allies, recognized that victory was only possible thanks to the Soviet people and the Red Army.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill observed: "Future generations must be able to see and feel with their own eyes all the grandeur of the victory at the Volga and all the horrors of the war of extermination that raged there."
And US President Franklin Roosevelt wrote of his admiration for "the valiant defenders, whose courage, fortitude and selflessness during the siege will forever inspire the hearts of all free people. Their glorious victory stopped the tide of the invasion and became the turning point of the war of the Allied Nations against the forces of aggression " .
But today those who replaced them are trying to rewrite history, canceling the enterprise of the citizens of our country: soldiers and officers, generals and marshals, workers and peasants.
Our duty is to do everything so that no one is forgotten. It is important that our children and grandchildren remember at what price the victory was won, " Volodin pointed out in his Telegram channel.
USSR : 20,000,000 to 27,000,000 - Population 188,793,000 in 1939
usa: 419,400 - Population 131,028,000 in 1939
TO NEVER FORGET