Vladimir Putin Gives ‘Full Support’ to Lula da Silva After Brazil Riots

The Kremlin on Monday offered full support for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and denounced supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro for rioting in the capital over the weekend.

“Naturally, we resolutely condemn the actions of the instigators of the riots and absolutely support Brazilian President Lula da Silva. We support his actions aimed at restoring law and order in the country,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

Peskov reiterated Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s congratulations to Lula and said, “we highly value Mr. da Silva’s efforts toward the development of bilateral relations.”

Various Russian officials on Monday echoed the Kremlin line. Konstantin Kosachev, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the upper house of the Russian parliament, similarly denounced the riot.

“What remains is to wish the far-flung and yet close Brazil the restoration of law and order, stability and prosperity, and to wish Lula da Silva confidence in his rightness and consistency in his actions,” Kosachev said.

Lula said in December that he and Putin talked about developing stronger ties between Brazil and Russia during Putin’s congratulatory phone call.

“Putin congratulated me on my election victory and wished me a good administration and the strengthening of relations between our countries,” Lula said.

“Brazil is back, seeking dialogue with everyone and committed to the search for a world without hunger and with peace,” he added.

The Kremlin said Putin and Lula discussed increasing their cooperation through BRICS, a group that also includes China, India, and South Africa. Iran and Argentina applied to join BRICS last year.

BRICS is one of the few international forums where Putin has been warmly welcomed after invading Ukraine. At a BRICS virtual summit in June, Putin urged the group to work together on trade deals and create a new international currency, with the goal of weakening the American dollar’s influence over global trade.

Brazil generally plays all sides of the international game, under all of its administrations, cultivating diplomatic and economic relations with Russia, the U.S., and the European Union simultaneously. 

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace predicted in November that Lula might move closer to Russia than Bolsonaro wanted to, and he seems all in favor of making BRICS stronger as Putin desires, but he might shy away from major lurches toward Moscow that would wreck Brazil’s deals with the Western world, especially while the war in Ukraine grinds on.