The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has rowed back on comments suggesting Vladimir Putin would be able to attend next year’s G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro without fear of arrest.
The international criminal court (ICC) has issued a warrant for the Russian leader’s arrest for alleged war crimes in Ukraine and, as a signatory of the Rome statute, Brazil is duty-bound to cooperate with the court. But on Saturday Lula raised eyebrows by telling an Indian interviewer there was “no reason” Putin would be detained if he travelled to the November 2024 summit in Brazil.
The comments were at odds with a statement by Brazil’s foreign minister, Mauro Vieira, earlier this year that Putin could face “issues” if he travelled to any ICC member state.
On Monday, Lula backtracked after an outcry. “If Putin decides to go to Brazil, it’s the justice system that will take the decision over whether he should be arrested, not the government or congress,” the 77-year-old leftwinger told reporters. “I didn’t even know this court existed,” he added of the ICC.
Lula has irked western leaders who support Ukraine’s fight against Russia with his refusal to take a clear side in the war or supply Kyiv with weapons. Lula has attempted to position himself as a potential peace broker between Moscow and Kyiv, arguing some countries must remain “neutral” if peace is to be achieved.
“I think everyone is starting to realize that humanity is growing tired of this war, people are growing tired,” Lula told a press conference on Monday.
However, many suspect Brazil’s reluctance to take Ukraine’s side is partly explained by its heavy reliance on Russian fertilizer for its powerful agribusiness sector. About a quarter of the South American country’s fertilizer imports come from Russia.
On Saturday Lula said he planned to attend next year’s Brics summit in Russia, before the G20. Lula’s far-right predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, visited Putin in Moscow just days before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Oliver Stuenkel, an international relations specialist from the Getúlio Vargas Foundation in São Paulo, called Lula’s comments about not arresting Putin “damaging and unnecessary”. “Putin was never going to come to Brazil anyways,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “[And] rather than projecting himself as the elder statesman, Lula came across as inexperienced and ignorant.”
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