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NATO should not be near Russian borders, Brazilian leader argues

According to Inacio Lula da Silva, the ownership of Crimea, "perhaps, must not be discussed at all," while the new Russian regions are worth understanding

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva AP Photo/Eraldo Peres

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva

© AP Photo/Eraldo Peres

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 7. /TASS/. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insists that the North Atlantic Alliance should not be close to Russia’s borders and that this issue could be a provision at peace talks on Ukraine.

"NATO should not be able to deploy [its forces] on [Russia’s] borders," he said at a press breakfast on Thursday.

However, he said, all parties to the conflict should make concessions. According to him, the ownership of Crimea, "perhaps, must not be discussed at all," while the new Russian regions are worth understanding. "But [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky may not count on anything he wants," the politician argued.

Earlier, Lula da Silva said that Russia was the guarantor of a long-lasting peace in the world. He has come up with an initiative to develop a new international format for the potential Moscow-Kiev talks, as he stressed he was ready to mediate direct negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky, if need be.

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