“Do not succumb to pressure from the West”: why Brazil and a number of other countries of the world refused to impose sanctions

[Omar del Sur]

“Do not succumb to pressure from the West”: why Brazil and a number of other countries of the world refused to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation​

«Не поддаваться давлению Запада»: почему Бразилия и ряд других стран мира отказались вводить санкции против РФ

Бразилия не станет осуждать Россию из-за ситуации на Украине и не будет вводить против неё санкции. Об этом заявил журналистам президент южноамериканской республики Жаир Болсонару. Он подчеркнул, что страна намерена сохранять нейтралитет и руководствоваться собственными национальными интересами...

russian.rt.com

Brazil will not condemn Russia because of the situation in Ukraine and will not impose sanctions against it. This was stated to journalists by the President of the South American Republic, Jair Bolsonaro. He stressed that the country intends to remain neutral and be guided by its own national interests. In many respects similar points of view on Moscow's actions towards Kyiv were expressed by the leaders of other states. China and Iran have blamed the conflict on the West, while Syria and Myanmar have expressed their full support for Moscow. According to experts, despite US pressure, most countries will continue to develop constructive relations with the Russian Federation.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a special press conference in Sao Paulo said that the country will not impose sanctions against Moscow and condemn it in connection with the situation in Ukraine. According to him, Brazil intends to be guided by its own national interests, including during voting at the UN venues.

“We will not take sides, we will continue to remain neutral and help in every way we can…” Bolsonaro was quoted as saying by Interfax.

As the Brazilian leader noted, today Western states do not impose restrictions on the Russian Federation that could harm their economies. Bolsonaro recalled that the German authorities, for example, do not discuss restrictive measures against Russia in the gas sector. The United States also intends to observe its commercial interests.


Speaking about the military situation in Ukraine, the President of Brazil called on the NATO member countries not to build up its conflict potential and expressed hope for a speedy resolution of the crisis.

“I do not think that this conflict will drag on, if only because the parties have different military capabilities. Naturally, we hope that the NATO countries will not help exacerbate this problem, which, in my understanding, must be resolved, ”TASS quoted Bolsonaro as saying.

In addition, the Brazilian leader stressed that about 90% of the population of Donbass "wanted to get closer to Russia", and drew attention to the fact that most of the citizens of Ukraine speak Russian.

"Reasonable Neutrality"​

Commenting on Bolsonaro's position, Boris Martynov, head of the Department of International Relations and Foreign Policy of Russia at MGIMO, expressed the opinion that in the current international situation, the Brazilian president has taken "reasonable neutrality."

“Bolsonaro adheres to what can be called healthy constructive nationalism. Despite US pressure, he emphasizes that the country has its own independent opinion, including on the situation in Ukraine. If we talk about sanctions, it is unprofitable for Brazil to spoil relations with the Russian Federation. Moreover, I am sure that she will continue to develop them, regardless of what happens next in Ukraine, ”Martynov argues.

On February 25, during his weekly broadcast on social networks, Bolsonaro criticized the statement of Brazilian Vice President António Hamilton Mourão condemning the Russian special operation. As the leader of the South American republic noted, his deputy is not authorized to assess foreign policy events on behalf of the entire state.

“I want to immediately clarify: in Art. 84 of the Constitution states that speeches on such issues are within the competence of the President. And the president's name is Jair Messias Bolsonaro, period. With all due respect to whoever said it (and he said it, I saw the tape), he said something he shouldn't have. This is not his competence, but ours, ”TASS quotes Bolsonaro.

Martynov believes that in his policy the Brazilian president proceeds primarily from the economic interests of the country. He is aware that drawing Brazil into the "sanctions process" will lead to negative consequences for industry, the agrarian complex and foreign trade, the expert explained.

 

[Omar del Sur]

(continued)

“Brazil is one of the largest economies in the world, a member of the G20, an important food exporter, Russia's main trading partner in Latin America. Brazil strives for the free development of trade and economic relations, including with Russia. In addition, Brazil, in a certain sense, was disappointed in cooperation with the United States, not having received the promised trade concessions, ”Martynov explained.

The expert is convinced that Brazil will continue not only economic, but also military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation. In this segment, the South American Republic sees a way to increase the combat capability of the army and law enforcement forces. According to Martynov, such plans of Brazil are evidenced by Bolsonaro's views on the situation in Ukraine and statements made during his recent visit to Moscow.

Recall that on February 16, Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin with his Brazilian counterpart. Bolsonaro called his visit to Moscow "a signal to the whole world that our bilateral relations have good prospects."

“We feel a sense of solidarity with Russia. We have good prospects for cooperation in various fields, in particular in the field of defense, oil and gas, and agriculture,” the Brazilian President said.

Martynov considers Bolsonaro’s words about the attraction of the people of Donbass to Russia and that Russian-speakers in Ukraine make up the majority as another confirmation of a good disposition towards Moscow.

“Firstly, the President of Brazil stated an objective fact that the West tries to ignore. Secondly, Bolsonaro is finally getting rid of the reputation of a pro-American politician, which was previously characteristic of him, ”Martynov argues.

"Emotions will bring nothing"​

In addition to Brazil, a number of other states declared their neutrality, refusal to introduce restrictions against Moscow, or expressed support for the special operation of the Russian Federation and announced their readiness to recognize the DPR and LPR. In particular, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the sanctions policy only creates new problems and hinders the process of political settlement.

Moreover, on February 26, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian published on his Twitter page a cartoon about US policy in Ukraine, created by the Chinese English-language edition of Global Times. It depicts Uncle Sam pouring gasoline on a fire in Ukraine.


On February 23, Lijian tweeted a black-and-white image of an American strategic bomber with the caption, "Never forget who is the real threat to the world." The picture lists the countries that were subject to the American invasion after World War II. There are more than 30 states on the list.


A similar point of view regarding the situation in Ukraine is expressed in Tehran. On February 24, the day the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces began, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian posted a post on his Twitter that the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine was caused by NATO provocations.

Russia's actions towards Ukraine were fully supported by Myanmar. On February 28, in a comment to RIA Novosti, the official representative of the military authorities, General Zo Ming Tun, said that Moscow has every right to protect its national interests.

“Firstly, in my opinion, in the situation with Ukraine, Russia is taking the necessary actions to preserve and strengthen its own state sovereignty. Secondly, Russia, as a great power, ensures the balance of world forces, which allows maintaining world peace. I believe that the position of Russia is an example of maintaining peace on Earth for all countries,” said Zo Ming Tun.

Also, representatives of official Damascus have repeatedly expressed full support for the policy of the Russian Federation. In a recent interview with RIA Novosti, Special Advisor to the President of Syria, Luna Shibl, said that the Arab Republic is ready to recognize the sovereignty of the DPR and LPR. She stressed that Western sanctions pressure will not force the Syrian authorities to abandon their principles.
Despite significant contradictions with Moscow, Georgia refused to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation. On February 28, Prime Minister of the Republic Irakli Garibashvili announced this. The head of the Georgian government stressed that the Georgian population would suffer from the restrictions.
“Our population, our economy, more than a million of our compatriots who will not be able to carry out financial transactions, and so on ... Therefore, I want to note once again that these extra emotions will not bring anything, but on the contrary, they harm our national interests, the interests of our people,” Garibashvili said before the government meeting.
Did not support Western sanctions against Russia and Moldova. As noted by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the republic, Nikolai Popescu, the Moldovan economy is highly dependent on ties with the Russian Federation, including in the energy sector, so Chisinau cannot introduce such restrictions. He added that Moldova has taken this position since 2014 and does not plan to change it.
As noted in an interview with RT, associate professor of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, Doctor of Historical Sciences Alexei Fenenko, today we can confidently conclude that the West's attempt to organize the international isolation of Russia failed. Moreover, Moscow received very tangible diplomatic support from some countries.

“In the current environment, it makes no sense for many states to act in the heat of the moment. They realize that now it is important not to succumb to the pressure of the West. Most countries in the world benefit from neutrality. Besides, the conflict is not over yet. In my opinion, regardless of the outcome, constructive relations with Moscow will continue to be developed by its current allies - China, the countries of the Middle East and South America, ”summed up Fenenko.