Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, repelled Washington’s pressure on his upcoming visit to Russia, pointing the US to the fact that the American side has never sent him an invitation.
“Brazil is Brazil, Russia is Russia. I get on well with everyone. As soon as Joe Biden invites me, if he invites me, I will be pleased to visit the US,” Bolsonaro commented.
The president’s remarks follow a recent media report suggesting the US diplomats are aiming to get the Moscow meeting cancelled, having voiced concerns the visit would signal support for Russia by the Brazilian side, in particular, its opposition to continued NATO expansion into Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Biden’s administration reportedly believes that the cancellation or postponement of the trip will demonstrate that “Putin faces diplomatic isolation if he does not reduce his military presence near the border with Ukraine.”
“During a Sunday phone call with Brazilian Foreign Minister, Carlos Franca, the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, expressed concerns again that the president’s visit might be interpreted as a sign that Brazil takes a side in the conflict,” sources in the Brazilian Foreign Ministry told on Monday, January 31.
However, the three-day visit is still set to go ahead, scheduled for February 14-17, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. Bolsonaro says he has no plans to raise the Ukraine or NATO issues with officials in Moscow.
Ru-Main, 04.02.2022
Source: RT
