Lula meets with the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky

Lula during a meeting with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ricardo Stuckert/ Presidency of the Republic
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) met this Wednesday (17) with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelesnky.
The meeting took place in France, where the PT member has a schedule this week. The Brazilian president participated this Tuesday in the meeting of G7 leaders, as a guest (read more here).
The bilateral between Lula and Zelensky takes place in the month in which the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, a country presided over by Vladimir Putin, with whom the PT member is closest.
President Lula has repeatedly argued that there is no military solution to the war in Ukraine, supporting the need for peace negotiations and even suggesting diplomatic solutions to the conflict.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has adopted a tone of diplomatic distance in relation to Brazil, even declaring, at the beginning of 2025, that the "Brazil train has already passed" with regard to mediation of the conflict, after having previously sought greater Brazilian engagement in supporting Ukrainian sovereignty.
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The relationship between the two leaders is marked by strategic divergences and historical disagreements.
While Lula insists on neutrality and the search for a "Peace Club" with countries not involved, Zelensky has criticized the Brazilian stance and the PT member's speeches. Lula has already attributed some responsibility for the conflict to both sides.
The G7 is a group of the world's main rich economies that meets to discuss global issues, such as the economy, war, climate and security. It is a political forum (it does not make mandatory decisions, but it has a lot of influence).
The group comprises the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Japan - in addition to the European Union, which participates in the meetings. Brazil is not a member of the G7, but can be invited to meetings, as happened with Lula at the current summit.
This Wednesday, Lula also had a bilateral agenda with the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Targeted by threats of tariffs from the United States, Lula has sought to expand the list of trading partners.
Lula during a meeting with the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Ricardo Stuckert/ Presidency of the Republic
Brief meeting with Trump
Lula and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, interacted briefly on two occasions this Tuesday (16) during engagements at the G7 summit, in Évian-les-Bains, France.
During a social event hosted by the host, French president Emmanuel Macron, Lula and Trump greeted each other and spoke briefly.
According to Lula's aides, the two did not talk about the latest US offensives against Brazil and the conversation lasted from one to two minutes.
Also according to interlocutors, Lula and Trump greeted each other after a musical performance organized by Macron for heads of state and government and G7 guests at the hotel where the summit is taking place. After the concert, the guests went to dinner in the same place.
Sources say that the two had already greeted each other before that, after Lula's speech at the expanded G7 meeting.
Trump and the PT member crossed paths in the corridor of the hotel where the summit is taking place and, upon meeting Lula, Trump said to the Brazilian president: "How are you?" and "Good job", which means "How are you?" and "Good job", in Portuguese. Lula did not have an interpreter nearby at this time and just nodded.
Lula and Trump posed on two occasions for official G7 photos. On the first occasion, after registration, there was no interaction between them.

Source: G1