Brazilian President Lula da Silva’s plane spent 4 hours at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow
During a technical stopover in Moscow, Brazilian President Lula da Silva tried to arrange a meeting between Putin and Zelensky in Istanbul, but it was not destined to take place.
On May 14, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made a brief stop in Moscow on his way from Beijing. There, he and China urged Russian leader Vladimir Putin to engage in dialogue to resolve the war in Ukraine. Some Russian media outlets reported that one of the goals of his visit was to request a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul on May 15.
However, the personal meeting never took place. According to Russian media, citing information from the Brazilian embassy, Putin ignored the invitation, calling Lula’s visit a “technical stopover.” In the end, the presidents only had a brief telephone conversation.
The Kremlin said that during the Brazilian plane’s stay, Putin was busy with talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The Brazilian plane spent about four hours at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport before continuing its flight.
At a press conference in China, Lula da Silva announced his intention to do everything he could to persuade Putin to go to Turkey for talks. He said, “I will try to talk to Putin. It is not difficult for me to tell him: ‘Comrade Putin, please go to Istanbul for talks.'”
Although a personal meeting did not occur, Putin allegedly expressed gratitude to the leadership of Brazil and China for their efforts in finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine.
Lula da Silva also previously spoke about the importance of peace during his visit to Moscow on May 9.
