BRASILIA. April 17 (Interfax) - Brazil is for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and ready to mediate negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said.
"We have touched upon the conflict going on in Ukraine. I have once again said that we are ready to take part in a peaceful resolution of this conflict," Vieira told a press conference following his talks with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on Monday.
Vieira spoke for setting up "a friendly group for holding Russia-Ukraine talks."
"I am also repeatedly stating our position on the speedy cessation of hostilities, observance of humanitarian law, and restoration of the sustainable peace that is very important for us," he said.
Separately, the Brazilian foreign minister spoke against "using sanctions in a unilateral fashion." "It's not only that these conditions are not approved by the UN Security Council, they are negatively affecting many economies across the globe, mainly the developing countries, which have not yet recovered from the pandemic," Vieira said.
Lavrov in turn said that Russia appreciated Brazil's "understanding of the [Ukraine] situation's genesis and contributing to the search for ways to settle it."
"Today we talked about the context that must be taken into account for the latest problems to be addressed not on a temporary basis but on the basis of long-term agreements based primarily on the principle of multilateralism and respect for the security interests of all the states without exception," Lavrov said.
Moscow "is interested in the Ukraine conflict ending as soon as possible," he said.
"We have repeatedly explained the causes of what is going on and the objectives we pursue in this regard. This is, first and foremost, to guarantee that there are no threats in Ukraine to Russia's military security. And the second goal is to protect the lives and legitimate rights of the Russian-speaking population of eastern and southern Ukraine," Lavrov said.