Russian Foreign Minister's Visit to Brazil Sparks Controversy with US

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine while proposing a club of nations including Brazil and China to mediate peace. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed gratitude to Brazil for its approach in pushing for an end to hostilities in Ukraine, which has irked both Kyiv and the West, and prompted an unusually sharp rebuke from the White House. Lula's recent comments run counter to the position held by the European Union, the U.S. and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby blasted Brazil's approach to the war and for its officials having met Lavrov and Russia's Vladimir Putin in person, while thus far only speaking to Ukrainian officials by phone.