Brazil could emerge as an international peace broker following Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Latin American nations.
Lavrov arrived in the capital Brasilia on Monday, where he met with recently elected President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
Camila Escalante told Sputnik that what was more significant was Lavrov's "extended" meetings with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and presidential advisor Celso Amorim.
"Celso Amorim is just like the number one confidant, a confidant and advisor to President Lula. He's been with him for many years," Escalante noted. "It was Celso who went to meet with President Maduro in Venezuela on kind of a secret mission. Just recently, he was in Moscow himself and he met with President Putin and with Lavrov as well."
Brazil could come to play a pivotal role in brokering an end to the conflict in Ukraine, the journalist said, along with China which has floated a 12-point framework for peace — promptly rejected by Washington.
"China and Brazil want to be part of mediating peace between Russia and NATO and Ukraine," Escalante said. However, "the US and the EU are not neutral actors in the eyes of Brazil. So they're starting to say a couple of things that are getting to the US State Department. They're not very happy about it, the US embassy."
Meanwhile, Russia is supporting Brazil's bid to become the first new permanent member of the United Nations Security Council since its founding in 1945 — and the first in South America.
"It's not the United States and European countries that are backing Brazil's bid to become a permanent member. It's it's number one, Russia. And number two would be China," Escalante stressed. "They believe that that they can bring some sort of balance."
The Brazilian government also raised hackles in the US when Lula and Amorim gave interviews where they rejected unilateral sanctions and other coercive measures — Washington's fall-back foreign policy tactic, now applied in full force against Russia.
"Amorim gave an interview with Global Times while he was in Beijing, and he specifically cited the way in which the unilateral coercive measures which are aimed at the Islamic Republic of Iran have affected Brazil trying to trade with Iran and have made things very difficult," the correspondent said.
Lavrov's Latin American tour includes Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba — all targets of US sanctions and economic blockades, for over 60 years in Cuba's case.
"I think he's going to get some new levels of cooperation with with those countries, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela specifically," Escalante said. "Military cooperation in Nicaragua is absolutely going to be key for the region. Russia knows that they have a solid ally there politically."
"They also know that things have been very, very difficult under the blockade that's ongoing... on Cuba," she added. "Because of COVID and all the different things Cuba has confronted in these last years, that they need a lot of help on a number of levels," including fuel supplies — which oil and gas giant Russia is well-placed to address.
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