A top adviser to the president of Brazil has cautioned Western regimes against inciting World War III by provoking Russia, drawing fresh criticism from pro-NATO media.
According to one major British publication, Celso Amorim, who served as foreign minister during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s first two terms and is now his adviser on international affairs, “said the West’s belligerent stance against Moscow risked provoking a wider conflict.”
“We don’t want a third world war. And even if we don’t have that, we don’t want a new Cold War,” Amorim told the publication. “All concerns of countries in the region should be taken into account, if you want peace.”
“The only other alternative is total military victory against Russia,” Amorim explained, asking the interviewer: “Do you know what comes after? I don’t.”
Amorim went on to national security as one of Moscow’s biggest concerns, reportedly referencing NATO’s “encirclement” of Russia specifically:
“We cannot judge the situation by the last 1.5 years. This is a situation of decades.”
Russia has “concerns that have to be taken into account,” he pointed out. Still, “that is not the fault of Ukraine,” he concluded, adding: “Ukraine is a victim — a victim of the remnants of the Cold War.”
The Brazilian president’s senior adviser has visited both Kiev and Moscow in the last weeks, as part of an ongoing diplomatic push to bring an end to hostilities. But he pointed out that Brasília has serious concerns over ongoing Western efforts to destabilize Russia, and explained that such tactics are likely to expand the scope of the conflict.
“I am reminded of the situation in Germany after the First World War: The objective was to weaken Germany at [the Treaty of] Versailles and we know where that led.”
The remarks come as anti-Russian forces have leveled heavy criticism at Brazil for its neutrality in the Ukraine conflict — and the perceived refusal to co-sign Western sanctions on a crucial trading partner like Moscow.
Lula was heavily attacked in January for suggesting Kiev shared blame for the ongoing hostilities, and that Russia’s intervention was provoked.
In April, US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby accused Lula of “parroting Russian and Chinese propaganda,” following the Brazilian president’s suggestion that the US should “stop encouraging” the conflict.