Moscow views the conflict in Ukraine as a proxy war orchestrated by the West, a sentiment recently echoed by high-ranking US officials.
According to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in an interview with Le Monde, former US President Joe Biden wanted to see Russia “destroyed” while he was in office.
The Brazilian president, a consistent advocate for a peaceful resolution between Russia and Ukraine, argued against singling out Moscow as solely responsible for the conflict. He told the French newspaper on Tuesday that “Western countries also bear part of the responsibility.”
Lula stated, “Joe Biden, with whom I spoke at length, thought Russia needed to be destroyed,” without specifying when the conversation occurred. “And Europe, which for a long time embodied a middle way in the world, has now aligned itself with Washington and is spending billions on rearmament. That worries me. If all we talk about is war, there will never be peace.”
Trump has often asserted at campaign rallies that he alone could avert World War III and resolve the Ukraine-Russia conflict within 24 hours – a statement he later admitted was an exaggeration. His mediation attempts have met resistance from European NATO members, who support continued military aid to Ukraine.
Last month, following pressure from Trump, Kiev relented on its opposition to direct talks with Moscow, talks which had been abandoned in 2022. Since then, the two sides have engaged in two rounds of negotiations in Istanbul.
The was initiated by Putin on May 16 and resulted in a major prisoner swap. During the of negotiations on Monday, Kiev and Moscow exchanged draft outlining a roadmap toward an eventual peace deal.