Lula ‘upset’ as Meeting Zelenskyy Not Realized

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a news conference in Hiroshima on Monday.
11:48 JST, May 23, 2023
HIROSHIMA (AFP-Jiji) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Monday he was “upset” he and Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not meet at the G7 summit, adding his Ukrainian counterpart seemed uninterested in negotiating peace with Russia.
Zelenskyy, who emerged from the summit in Hiroshima with fresh diplomatic support and pledges of more military aid, had sought a one-on-one meeting with Lula, who has faced accusations of being soft on Russia over its invasion.
Both leaders said scheduling conflicts had prevented them from meeting — which Zelenskyy quipped had likely left his Brazilian counterpart “disappointed.”
“I wasn’t disappointed. I was upset, because I’d like to meet him and discuss the matter,” Lula told a news conference before heading home from Japan.
But “Zelenskyy is a grown-up. He knows what he’s doing,” he added.
Lula said his team had scheduled a meeting with Zelenskyy for Sunday afternoon. But the Ukrainian leader ran late, and his own agenda was full after that, he said.
Zelenskyy got resounding support from G7 leaders at the summit, including long-sought U.S. backing for access to F-16 fighter jets.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
U.S. Talks About Car, Rice Exports During Meetings with Akazawa; Trump Mentions Japan’s Defense Burden, Ministers Don’t
-
With No Powerful Negotiator, Japan Fails in Bid to Win Exclusion from U.S. Tariffs; Japan Assesses Post-‘Liberation Day’ Position
-
Ishiba: Japan-U.S. Tariff Talks Should Produce Desirable Model for Other Countries
-
Trump Assigns Bessent, Greer to Lead Trade Negotiations with Japan; Japan Picks Economic Revitalization Minister Akazawa
-
China Intensifies Strategy to Block U.S. Intervention in Case of Conflict in Taiwan or South China Sea
JN ACCESS RANKING