Ukraine has withdrawn its ambassador to Brazil with out appointing a alternative, signaling a breakdown in relations as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prepares to go to Moscow in Could.
Andrii Melnyk, Ukraine’s envoy since mid-2023, will now signify Kyiv on the United Nations, leaving Brasília’s embassy below a chargé d’affaires till at the least 2026.
The transfer displays Kyiv’s frustration with Brazil’s perceived alignment with Russia and its refusal to sentence latest missile strikes that killed over 30 civilians in April 2025.
Lula’s authorities has maintained neutrality since Russia’s 2022 invasion, abstaining from UN votes to droop Russia from human rights our bodies and rejecting weapons gross sales to Ukraine.
“I cannot promote weapons to kill Russians,” Lula said in February 2025, reiterating his stance throughout a Portugal-Brazil summit. His deliberate journey to Russia, marking the eightieth anniversary of the Soviet WWII victory, follows a number of calls with Vladimir Putin.
This stands in distinction to his canceled attendance on the 2023 BRICS summit, which he missed resulting from harm. Diplomatic efforts to interact Brazil have faltered.
Strained Diplomacy Amid International Tensions
Zelensky’s unreciprocated requests for conferences, together with a declined 2023 stopover in Brasília, and Brazil’s silence on Russia’s April assaults have strained ties. Ukraine’s peace components, demanding full Russian withdrawal, clashes with Lula’s joint proposal with China, which omits this situation.
Brazil’s neutrality, framed as mediation, has drawn criticism for echoing Kremlin narratives. The White Home accused Lula in 2023 of “parroting Russian propaganda” after he steered Ukraine cede Crimea.
Financial pragmatism underpins Brazil’s stance. Russia provides 25% of its fertilizer imports, a precedence mentioned throughout Overseas Minister Mauro Vieira’s talks with Sergei Lavrov.
Whereas Western nations isolate Moscow, Brazil seeks to steadiness commerce ties with non-aligned rhetoric. Ukraine’s diplomatic downgrade underscores fading hopes for Brazilian help, with Kyiv now eyeing post-2026 elections for a reset.
The emptiness leaves 500,000 ethnic Ukrainians in Brazil with out high-level illustration, deepening divides in a relationship as soon as seen as a bridge between International South and Europe.
