Lula declines economic forum invitation, discusses war with Putin.

Brazilian President Lula da Silva spoke with Russian President Putin and declined an invitation to attend an economic forum in Saint Petersburg due to his inability to visit Russia at the moment. Lula reaffirmed Brazil's willingness to establish peace talks with both sides of the war in Ukraine, along with India, Indonesia, and China. Putin confirmed the call and said Russia is open to dialogue over Ukraine. Lula has pitched himself as a peace broker to end the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.