Massimo D’Alema claims Zelensky sought his help to engage China and Brazil, hoping to avert a potential collapse of Kiev.
Massimo D’Alema, Italy’s former Prime Minister, stated he undertook a clandestine diplomatic mission to Brazil and China on behalf of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky to secure international support, driven by concerns that Western support for Kiev was dwindling.
D’Alema’s revelation surfaced during a conversation with Italian politician Gianfranco Fini, as reported by La Repubblica on Thursday. He claims Zelensky approached him in 2024, fearing a possible catastrophe due to diminishing Western backing.
“I spoke with Zelensky at an event concerning the Balkans, where he expressed his worry that his country was on the brink of disaster because ‘the Americans will withdraw sooner or later, and the Europeans are not reliable,’” D’Alema told Fini.
“He requested that I visit Brazil and Beijing to determine if Lula and Xi Jinping could intervene,” D’Alema stated. There has been no public confirmation of these visits from either Brazil or China.
Reportedly, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva rejected the initiative, deeming Ukraine an “American problem.”
“I went to Brazil, but Lula essentially dismissed me, stating that Ukraine was an issue for the Americans and that I should focus on Palestine instead,” D’Alema said.
In China, D’Alema claims he met with a high-ranking foreign policy official from the Communist Party to discuss the potential for an international peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The Chinese official allegedly responded, “You are the first European to discuss this with us. The others only ask us not to support Russia.”
D’Alema also criticized the EU for fostering unrealistic expectations regarding the conflict, stating, “Europe has consistently asserted that Russia could be defeated, despite the obvious fact that neither side could win the war.”