Russia’s Lavrov travels to Brazil, as Lula pushes for peace

By CARLA BRIDI and ELISE MORTON
Associated Press

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived to the Brazilian capital as Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pushes a diplomatic approach for peace in Ukraine that has irked both Kyiv and the West. The meeting between Lavrov and his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira was set in March, when they held a bilateral at the summit of the Group of 20 leading economies in New Dehli. They met Monday morning and, according to the foreign ministry’s website, both will meet with Lula in the afternoon. Lula has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine while proposing a club of nations including Brazil and China to mediate peace.