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Brazilian president responds to reports of US attempts to prevent his visit to Moscow

"As soon as US President Joe Biden invites me, if he invites me, I will be pleased to visit the United States", Jair Bolsonaro noted

RIO DE JANEIRO, February 4. /TASS/. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday commented on reports about Washington’s pressure over his plans to visit Moscow in mid-February.

"Brazil is Brazil, Russia is Russia. I get on well with everyone. As soon as [US President] Joe Biden invites me, if he invites me, I will be pleased to visit the United States," the president told a reporter, who asked him to comment on recent reports in the local media.

The United States is putting pressure on Brazil in a bid to have President Jair Bolsonaro’s upcoming visit to Russia cancelled, the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper reported on January 31, citing Brazilian Foreign Ministry sources.

According to the paper, Washington’s aim is to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the current situation in Russia-NATO relations and Ukraine-related developments. The report says the US diplomats expressed their concerns about the timeframe of the visit, because, in their opinion, the meeting of the Russian and Brazilian presidents would signal Brazil’s support to Russia’s policies in Eastern Europe and legitimize what Washington sees as violations of the international law.

The US embassy in Brasilia reaffirmed the US Department of State’s stance to Folha de Sao Paulo, saying that the United States, Brazil and other democratic countries have a responsibility to uphold diplomatic principles and the rule-based order, and should deliver this message to Russia at every opportunity. Bolsonaro said, however, that he did not plan to raise the issue of Russia-NATO relations or discuss the situation surrounding Ukraine during his upcoming visit. A number of Brazilian media outlets criticized the president’s plans.

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