Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday declined to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and said Brazil would remain neutral on the issue, Reuters reported.
Bolsonaro recently snubbed US entreaties not to visit Putin in Moscow ahead of the invasion, and angered Western allies by saying he was "in solidarity with Russia," without elaborating.
On Friday, Brazil voted for a draft UN Security Council resolution that would have denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine, despite reluctance by Bolsonaro. Russia later vetoed the resolution.
In Sunday's press conference, Bolsonaro said Brazil will remain neutral in the conflict and noted Russia and Ukraine were "practically brother nations."
"We will not take sides, we will continue being neutral, and help with whatever is possible," Bolsonaro said, according to Reuters. "A big part of Ukraine's population speaks Russian."
Asked by a reporter whether he was willing to condemn Putin's actions, he said he would wait for a final report, or see how the situation is resolved, before giving his opinion.
Bolsonaro also said he did not think Putin's forces would carry out any mass bloodletting in Ukraine.
Referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Bolsonaro said Ukrainians have "placed the hope of their nation in the hands of a comedian."
Bolsonaro is a controversial figure, particularly on COVID-19. The Brazilian President has stated he will not get a vaccine against the virus and has also spoken out against vaccinating children.
Bolsonaro, who has been dubbed the “Trump of Brazil”, was also one of the last world leaders to congratulate Joe Biden on his election win last year.