Lula and Putin discuss BRICS cooperation, Ukraine peace ahead of US–Russia talks
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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2025. REUTERS © Copyright (C) |
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday for about 40 minutes, the presidential palace in Brasília said, adding that Putin briefed him on talks with the United States and “recent peace efforts” related to the war in Ukraine.
According to the statement, the two leaders also discussed cooperation within the BRICS bloc of emerging economies and reviewed the current international political and economic situation.
The conversation with Lula is the latest of a flurry of calls between Putin and foreign leaders in recent days ahead of the Russian president’s expected meeting with US President Donald Trump next week.
Putin spoke to the leaders of China and India, both also part of the BRICS group of developing nations, and other presidents from Central Asia and Europe on Friday to brief them on his contacts with the United States about the war in Ukraine.
Lula has been in a public spat with Trump since the U.S. imposed a 50% tariff on the imports of Brazilian goods, which Trump linked to an alleged ”witch hunt” against his ally and Brazil’s former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. U.S. imports of some Brazilian products, such as orange juice and aircraft, received a lower rate.
Lula told Reuters on Wednesday he planned to call the leaders of the BRICS countries, which also include South Africa, to discuss a joint response to Trump’s tariffs on U.S. imports. The Brazilian leader spoke with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Trump has threatened BRICS nations with additional 10% tariffs last month, as the group gathered in a summit in Rio de Janeiro in July.
With inputs from agencies
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