Ukraine Russia Conflict: Brazil’s ex-president Lula blames Zelensky equally for war

Brazilian presidential frontrunner Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, are equally responsible for the war in Ukraine. The former president said it was irresponsible for western leaders to celebrate Mr Zelensky because they are encouraging war instead of focusing on closed-door negotiations to stop the fighting.

“I see the president of Ukraine, speaking on television, being applauded, getting a standing ovation by all the [European] parliamentarians,” Lula told.

Meanwhile, Russia on 24th February launched the war on Ukraine. And, according to the latest updates, Russia has said it will implement a daytime ceasefire for three days from Thursday to allow more civilian evacuations from the Azovstal plant. “The Russian armed forces will from 8 am to 6 pm (Moscow time) on 5-7 May open a humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant to evacuate civilians,” the defence ministry said. However, The UK is providing £45m in funding to help the most vulnerable in Ukraine and at its borders, the government has said. The money will go to UN agencies and charities delivering vital aid and supporting survivors of sexual violence in the war-torn nation. Also, Joe Biden said he would speak with other G7 leaders this week about potential additional sanctions against Russia. His treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, said the US was in constant discussions with its partners about this.