Brazil’s Foreign Minister, Carlos França, this Thursday stated that the government of Jair Bolsonaro “did not agree” with excluding Russia from the G20, as the United States suggested after the invasion of Ukraine.

“We have seen the emergence of initiatives in various international organizations to expel Russia from this entity or suspend their participation. Brazil has clearly contradicted (..), in line with our traditional position of supporting multilateralism and international law”Franca convinced, in an appearance in the Senate to debate the consequences of the war in Ukraine for Brazil and the world.

“The most important thing at this time is that all these forums, the G20, the WTO, the FAO, are fully operational. And to have full operations, you have to own all the countries, including Russia.”he added.

The minister insisted on the Bolsonaro government’s critical position on “unilateral and selective” sanctions against Russia, which he said were “illegal under international law”, “preserving the interests of some countries” and “they achieve products essential for the survival of a large proportion of the world’s population”.

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Bolsonaro has avoided open criticism of the incursions of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, something that has caused reproach inside and outside Brazil.

Days before the conflict broke out, Bolsonaro met with Putin in Moscow and assured that he had seen him committed to seeking peace. The Brazilian’s trip, among other things, was aimed at discussing the sale of Russian fertilizer to Brazil, a power in the agribusiness sector that imports 85% of inputs for production.

“The fertilizers that we, in Brazil, need, are equally necessary to avoid hunger and ensure the economic viability and political stability of developing countries, which make up three-quarters of the world’s population,” the foreign minister added on Thursday.

The United States and countries such as Britain and Australia question Russia’s participation in the G20, a forum that brings together the world’s major economies and whose next summit is scheduled for the end of the year in Indonesia.

on wednesday, China says that no member has the right to expel another country, and the Russian Ambassador to Indonesia confirmed that Putin plans to attend the summit.