According to the official readout, Putin used the 40-minute call to brief Lula on his meeting in Alaska with Trump, which he described as “positive”. He also “praised Brazil’s role in the Group of Friends for Peace”, a joint initiative with China launched at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
The Kremlin also released a press statement, adding that “the presidents reaffirmed mutual interest in maintaining Russia-Brazil dialogue and closely cooperating within Brics”.
But Ukraine rejected the proposal last September, accusing Beijing and Brasilia of serving Moscow’s interests. Zelensky criticised the plan in his address to the General Assembly, warning it would give Putin room to prolong the war.
“If someone in the world seeks alternatives to any of these points or tries to ignore any of them, it likely means they themselves want to do a part of what Putin is doing,” he said.
