Outrage as Bolsonaro confirms Russia’s trip despite crisis in Ukraine | Zaire Bolsonaro

Zaire Bolsonaro has provoked disbelief and anger by insisting that he embark on a journey to meet Vladimir Putin in Russia despite the escalating military crisis along the Ukrainian border.

Foreign policy experts and opponents question the planned visit of the Brazilian presidents after he told his supporters would fly to Moscow at the end of February to improve trade ties.

“He is a conservative,” the far-right populist told Putin’s supporters on Thursday. “Oh yes?” answered one.

Bolsonaro’s move, which analysts believe was designed to promote the idea that Brazil’s internationally isolated leader is still proud of strong foreign friends, has confused many experts.

“Is Bolsonaro crazy?” the publisher of the Meio political newsletter, Pedro Doria, asked of the “completely reckless” business.

Ricardo Rangel, a columnist for the conservative Veja magazine, urged ministers to resign for “the craziest trip of all.” “Supporting Putin just as he threatens to wage a war of conquest is unforgivable from the point of view of the United States or Europe, our main partners along with China.” He wrote, predicting a “diplomatic nightmare” if an invasion was launched during Bolsonaro’s visit.

Conservative politician Heni Ozi Cukier expressed embarrassment about the trip and Bolsonaro’s claim that Putin was a man of the right. “Our president has no idea what is happening in the world. “He has no idea who Putin is, much less what it means to be conservative,” he wrote on Twitter.

Experts say the trip underscores how Bolsonaro, having alienated allies such as China, the US and the EU, desperately wants to find an influential international partner.

“It’s gradually isolated from Brazil’s key partners. He supported Trump’s candidacy, clashed with Biden; he competed with China. This is how 2022 begins with a very limited variety of collaborations, “said Guilherme Casarões, a political scientist at the Getulio Vargas Foundation.

Before accepting Putin’s invitation, the only trips in Bolsonaro ‘s diary were to Poland and Hungary.

“It’s almost a joke. “The fact that Bolsonaro, after three years in office, has managed to stay only with Hungary and Poland as allies, as well as with some Gulf countries, suggests that he has not really made much progress with his diplomatic agenda,” Casarões said. .

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who looks set to defeat Bolsonaro in the October election, has embarked on a series of high-profile trips abroad aimed at repairing Brazil’s reputation after three years of foreign policy chaos. .

Casarões suspects that the US and the EU will largely ignore Bolsonaro’s trip to Russia and focus more on Lula’s moves, concluding “that Bolsonaro will probably not be in the presidency for long.”