These actions could undermine key economic deals, France said during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.
“(These actions) could exacerbate the economic effects of the conflict and affect the essential supply chain,” he said.
He insisted that “sanctions tend to understand the interests of a small group of nations, to the detriment of the vast majority who depend on essential supplies.”
One of Brazil’s concerns is the continued import of Russian fertilizers which, according to the foreign minister, are “indispensable to agriculture and to global food security.”
Russia launched a military operation in the Ukrainian Donbas Autonomous Region on February 24, after the authorities of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics requested help to repel the aggression of Kyiv.
Days earlier, on February 21, the Kremlin recognized the independence and sovereignty of both regions, and signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with these leaders, which included the establishment of diplomatic relations and military assistance.
Six days later, the Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, Ronaldo Costa Filho, spoke at the Security Council meeting and asked to work together to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis.
He also called for caution regarding the application of sanctions against Russia.
According to Costa Filho, “The supply of weapons, the use of cyber-attacks and the application of selective sanctions, which can affect sectors such as fertilizers and wheat, with a high risk of famine, have the risks of exacerbating and prolonging the conflict. It does not solve it.
He noted that such actions could increase the risks of a broader and more direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
At the end of the same month, President Jair Bolsonaro confirmed that his country would remain neutral regarding Russian military operations in Ukraine.
He stressed that his government will continue its neutral stance on this conflict and “in the interest of peace.”
The far-right president commented, “We will not take sides, we will remain neutral and help as much as possible in the search for a solution.”
jha / ocs
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