The PSD vice-president, Paulo Rangel, urged, this Sunday, the Government to “take a public and legitimate position” by dissociating itself from the Brazilian President’s speech that the European Union, NATO and the USA are starting a war in Ukraine. .
“The Government of Portugal – as an independent body in charge of foreign policy -, fully respecting the sovereignty of Brazil, through the Prime Minister, António Costa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, cannot fail to isolate itself, through diplomatic means and. publicly, about the words that the European Union, NATO and the United States are instigating and promoting war,” Rangel said in a political speech delivered today in Porto.
According to him, “with the same sincerity and without fear that the President of Brazil talks about the integration and intervention of the European Union and wants to soften or abandon the role of Putin’s regime, the Prime Minister António Costa must confirm that Portugal in favor of international law, integrity for sovereignty and peace in Ukraine”.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended on Saturday, at the end of a visit to China, that the US should stop “inciting war” in Ukraine and the European Union should “start talking about peace”.
“The United States must stop promoting war and start talking about peace, the European Union must start talking about peace”, said the head of state of Brazil to the press, in Beijing, before going to the United Arab Emirates.
While emphasizing the “important importance” of Lula da Silva’s “timely and effective” visit to Portugal, in a few days, I ensure that the PSD will do everything to make it “successful” and allow a “strong relaunch” of the relations between them. both countries, Paulo Rangel saw that António Costa “must take a public and official role” in the face of “repeated positions by the Brazilian government, through the supreme judge”.
“After these announcements, Portugal – which is a member of the European Union and apparently is not involved in any war, let alone on the side of Ukraine and neighboring countries of Ukraine – should take part. […] The visit cannot be carried out quietly in this matter when Portugal is accused of being at war and starting a war, which is not what Portugal has been doing”, he said.
“We will not agree or compromise, fearlessly and firmly, and repeatedly declare that it leaves and forgets that there is a tyrannical government and a country under attack, that there is a violation of the integrity of Ukraine that tears apart the sacred principles of the Ukrainian state. international law, that the Russian Federation and Putin’s government have committed a series of terrorist attacks, killing Ukrainians and destroying their cities and economy,” he said.
For the PSD vice-president, “one cannot accept that Ukraine should lose Crimea or that President Zelensky is the cause of conflict” and “one cannot be indifferent in the face of the brutal attack of the autocracy on an independent, independent and democratic government”.
“Information: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs [João Gomes Cravinho] he has a strong responsibility to counter the public criticism that the European Union is now a party directly involved in the war. Indifference in the face of barbaric attacks that violate international law and threaten the freedom and integrity of countries and peoples is not, has not been and will not be ‘invasion’ or ‘participation in war'”, he reiterated.
Paulo Rangel said that the PSD is “well aware” of the Brazilian vote against the attack at the United Nations and that “there is no country that would like more than Portugal that Brazil was a real mediator and advocate for peace in the war in Ukraine, as the emerging international power that it is”. but he noted that “this cannot be done by blaming the Ukrainian people” and also considered “that they, the European Union and NATO started the war, because it does not correspond to the truth”.
When asked by the press, Rangel also admitted that the words of Lula da Silva “do not help” the rapprochement between Brazil and the European Union, a process in which Portugal “has played an important role, trying to re-establish cooperation between the European Union. The European Union and Mercosur”.
“It is clear that because of the strong opposition to the European Union on the obvious – the borders of the European Union are in danger. […] – these words are not useful,” he said.