Brazil, which chairs the 11-nation BRICS grouping that also includes Russia and China, called for closer cooperation Monday as the world deals with conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and trade wars under US President Donald Trump.
Foreign ministers of the bloc met in Rio de Janeiro as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a three-day truce with Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky described the move as “a new attempt at manipulation.”
“We advocate diplomacy instead of confrontation, and cooperation instead of unilateralism,” Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told the BRICS envoys in Rio.
“The conflict in Ukraine continues to have a severe humanitarian impact, highlighting the urgent need for a diplomatic solution,” he added.
Ministers from the bloc — which also includes Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates — met to hone their agenda ahead of a leaders’ summit on July 6 and 7.
