European officials and diplomats are trying to convince Latin American states on the issue of support for Ukraine, but in the region, they are “not yet listened to”. On this subject writing Policy.
In May, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley embarked on a week-long tour of Latin America which included visits to Chile, Colombia and Brazil. The trip, which was the first visit by a British foreign secretary to the region in five years, was part of a broad diplomatic campaign aimed at reaching out to countries that ‘often call themselves ‘non-aligned’ “and remain neutral, writes the newspaper. .
Speaking in the Chilean capital of Santiago, Cleverly tried to bring Latin American governments closer to the West, arguing that the region deserved more influence on the international stage. The Minister also supported Brazil in obtaining a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
South America has come under particular scrutiny from Western leaders in recent months as Ukraine’s allies seek new sources of ammunition and weapons for Kyiv. In particular, Chile and Brazil have hundreds of German-made Leopard tanks, while Colombia and Brazil have Russian-made military equipment, including MiG transport helicopters and anti-tank missiles.
Brazil has so far condemned military action in Ukraine, but refused military assistance to Kyiv and the imposition of sanctions against Russia. In a conversation with Politico, Brazilian and Chilean officials ruled out the possibility of military support for Ukraine. “This topic should be decided by the great powers, not us, on the other side of the world,” a source in Chile told the publication.
Other senior EU officials, including European Council President Charles Michel and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have also tried in recent months to drum up support from Latin America. In June, German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock will visit Brazil. According to Politico, she will try, among other things, to call on Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lulu da Silva to support Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Chile, Brazil and Argentina in June, the newspaper writes, citing sources.
In January 2023, Lula da Silva proposed to convene a group of states with “enough power to be respected at the negotiating table” to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. Among these countries, he named China, India and Indonesia. In mid-April, the Brazilian president called on the United States and the EU to intensify the search for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. He said countries that supply arms to warring parties “encourage war”, and called for its abandonment. After the G7 summit, held in Japan from May 19 to 21, Lula da Silva said that Volodymyr Zelensyy did not come to a scheduled meeting with him, and noted that he was upset.
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