Russian leader President Vladimir Putin welcomed “constructive” talks Wednesday with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was on his first official trip to Moscow, defying US concerns amid the Ukraine crisis.
Bolsonaro was hosted at the Kremlin as Western leaders remain fearful of a Russian attack on its neighbour Ukraine.
Brazil is Russia’s “leading partner” in South America, Putin said, and the countries are bound by “friendship and mutual understanding”.
Following talks Putin described as “thorough and constructive”, the Kremlin released a statement saying the leaders had agreed deeper cooperation in energy and trade.
It added that the two leaders “share the opinion that conflicts should be resolved through peaceful and diplomatic means”.
Bolsonaro had brushed off pressure from Washington, Brazil’s traditional ally, and his own cabinet to cancel the trip, justifying the focus on trade.
Brazil’s foreign and defence ministers were also in Moscow for talks with their Russian counterparts.
Before the South American set off for Russia, Brazil publicly reaffirmed its diplomatic ties with Kyiv.
“The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Franca, spoke by phone today with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba,” the foreign ministry said on Twitter ahead of the trip.
Russia had made the invitation in late November, when tension over Ukraine was already building.
Bolsonaro accepted, deciding to combine it with a Thursday visit to fellow far-right leader Viktor Orban in Hungary, who also recently met Putin.
He has expressed admiration for “strong man” Putin.
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