Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has agreed to work with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a new push for peace in the ongoing war with Russia, according to a Ukrainian presidential adviser who spoke to reporters on Friday.
The two leaders crossed paths on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit held at the French resort of Evian-les-Bains on Wednesday. At the gathering, Zelenskiy called on allied nations to ramp up pressure on Russia to bring the more than four-year-old conflict to an end.
During their meeting, the two presidents explored what steps might breathe new life into diplomatic efforts. Lula put forward several ideas, including reaching out to the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn shared details of the conversation with the press.
“They agreed that, in particular, based on such ideas and contacts, they would try to achieve something and later they would discuss it based on the results,” Lytvyn said.
Beyond the United States, France, and Britain — nations with which Ukraine already maintains close diplomatic ties — the permanent Security Council members also include Russia and China.
An earlier U.S.-backed mediation effort fell apart earlier this year after Russia demanded additional territorial concessions from Ukraine, a condition Kyiv has firmly rejected.
Zelenskiy has also called on U.S. President Donald Trump to re-engage in peace mediation and arrange a direct meeting between him and Russian leader Vladimir Putin — something Putin has said he is not willing to do at this time.
Speaking after the G7 meeting in Brazil, Lula noted that Zelenskiy had previously shown little interest in his diplomatic overtures, but that his stance had now changed. Lula told reporters at a news conference that he had already been in contact with all five permanent Security Council leaders and planned to reach out to them again.
Ukraine has been stepping up its diplomatic activity in recent weeks as the U.S.-led peace process stalled, partly due to the conflict involving Iran.
