"Hasty," says Lula regarding Boric's stance on the Ukraine war

247 - During the summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Brussels, Belgium, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) criticized Chilean President Gabriel Boric. In a press conference on Wednesday (19), Lula disagreed with Boric's position on the Ukraine war, leading to tensions between the two leaders.

"I have no reason to agree with Boric; it's his view. I think the meeting was extraordinary. Perhaps the lack of experience in participating in these meetings makes a young person more eager and hasty, but things are not like that," Lula said during the press conference, according to Metrópoles.

Lula's criticism came a day after Boric urged CELAC leaders to place more emphasis on condemning Russia. At the time, the Chilean President stated, "Today it's Ukraine, tomorrow it could be any of us."

On the other hand, Lula believed that despite the urgency regarding the war, it is precisely because of the distance between continents that Latin America has a better opportunity to build peace and long-term dialogue.

"It is precisely because we are distant that we can remain calm and not get into the mood that the Europeans are in. We can adopt an attitude of those who will build peace. (...) The world is getting tired, countries are getting tired. There will come a time when we will have peace, and we will need a group of countries capable of talking to Russia and Ukraine," emphasized Lula.

Despite their differences, the summit resulted in a joint statement that refers to the conflict between the two countries, although it does not openly antagonize Russia. The only exception to CELAC's position on the conflict is Nicaragua, which also expressed disagreement.