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<\/a><\/p>\nBy Bel\u00e9n Carre\u00f1o<\/p>\n
MADRID (Reuters) – Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized the Russian invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, but said no one is talking about peace in what he called an “insane war.”<\/p>\n
Speaking during a visit to Spain, Lula said he is committed to finding a peace formula to end the conflict.<\/p>\n
“I understand the European view of this war. It is unacceptable that one country invades another, but it is a war in which I do not see anyone talking about peace,” he said in speech at a business conference.<\/p>\n
Lula angered many in the West this month when he called for the U.S. and European allies to stop supplying arms to Ukraine saying they were prolonging the war, prompting a White House spokesperson to accuse him of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda.”<\/p>\n
After the backlash, the Brazilian leader toned down his comments and on a visit to Portugal and Spain he has condemned Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.<\/p>\n
In Spain, Lula again called for more peace efforts “so that Ukraine can keep its territory”, backtracking a recent suggestion that the invaded country needs to make concessions to end the war and Russia should return recently invaded territory but could keep Crimea.<\/p>\n
Lula talked about investments by Spanish companies in Brazil, mentioning a major infrastructure program to be launched in May that will be “promising” for Spain’s firms. <\/p>\n
“We want to attract a new wave of Spanish investments,” he told the business audience.<\/p>\n
A senior Spanish government official said his country’s companies are expected to gain better access to public procurement in Brazil after Lula’s visit to Madrid.<\/p>\n
Brazil and other members of the Mercosur trade bloc are discussing concluding a trade agreement with the European Union that he hopes will happen before the end of the year, Lula said.<\/p>\n
“We want a balanced agreement that will contribute to the re-industrialization of Brazil,” he said, reinforcing his view of his country’s need for technology and not just imported manufactured goods.<\/p>\n
\n(Reporting by Belen Carre\u00f1o, Peter Frontini and Lisandra Paraguassu; Editing by Josie Kao)<\/p>\n
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