Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro Accepts Putin Invite to Visit Russia

Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday invited Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to visit Russia at an unspecified time in the future, Russia’s state-owned TASS news agency reported.

“We will be happy to see the president of Brazil in Russia,” Putin said on December 1 while speaking at an “ambassadors’ credentials presentation ceremony” in Moscow, according to TASS.

“Putin noted that Russia will continue to gradually strengthen the bilateral cooperation with Brazil on trade, energy, scientific and other tracks,” the news agency relayed.

“Brazil is one of Russia’s most important strategic partners,” Putin said at Wednesday’s ceremony.

“We work together within the BRICS forum and the G20. Considering that, in 2022-2023, your country [Brazil] will obtain the status of a non-permanent UN Security Council member, we will cooperate even more intensely on the pressing issues of the global agenda at the UN platform,” the Russian head of state affirmed.

During a weekly social media live stream on December 2, Bolsonaro accepted Putin’s invitation to travel to Russia.

“Russian President Putin has invited us to visit Russia. The invitation has been accepted,” the president announced.

“I am very happy, very honored, and obviously, this opens a window of opportunity for our country,” he added.

“Bolsonaro said he sees his visit to Russia as an opportunity to open paths for the Brazilian economy, given the scale of the Russian market,” the Rio Times noted on Friday.

While Putin’s invitation did not mention a date, Bolsonaro said his visit should happen in February or March of next year .

The BRICS forum referred to by Putin on Wednesday is an association of emerging economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. India hosted the most recent BRICS summit on September 9 as a virtual event. The G20, or Group of Twenty, is an intergovernmental forum made up of the world’s largest economies. The bloc consists of 19 member states — including Russia and Brazil — and the European Union and focuses on issues concerning the global economy. The G20’s last summit took place in person in Rome, Italy, on October 30-31.

Putin chose not to attend the 2021 G20 Summit in Rome and instead followed the proceedings via videolink. President Bolsonaro attended the 2021 G20 Rome Summit in person. A report by Britain’s Independent newspaper suggested the event’s organizers attempted to erase Bolsonaro’s presence at the meeting by either photoshopping him out of official press photos documenting the conference or selecting photos for the press that did not include the leader.

“Brazil president Jair Bolsonaro was bumped out of the farewell photo of world leaders attending the G20 summit last week after his security detail allegedly turned violent against Brazilian reporters covering his diplomatic trip to Rome,” the Independent observed on November 1.

“The visuals from G20 events over the weekend did not include Mr Bolsonaro, while most of the world leaders from 20 nations were seen in the photo,” the newspaper noted.

*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases