Lula of Brazil makes a "peace coalition" proposal for Ukraine, but he walks a fine line.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been trying to position himself as a possible mediating force in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. He is proposing to form a coalition of countries willing to intervene and lead efforts for peace in Ukraine, though he is treading a thin line with the world’s biggest powers. His proposal is to create “a G20 for peace” – a group of countries strong enough to be respected at the negotiating table, but that are still considered by some as neutral in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Lula condemned Russia’s decision to invade its neighbor, but controversially claimed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky could have done more to avoid the conflict. Lula da Silva was once in office and insisted that Brazil would not take a side.

However, when German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz recently encouraged Brazil to contribute weapons to Ukraine’s defense, Lula felt compelled to do something. He could not contemplate sending weapons, as it would go far beyond Brazil’s traditional foreign policy. However, he could not do nothing, as he had promised to bring Brazil “back” to the world stage. Instead, he decided to broker peace and use Brazil’s reputation and skills as a mediator to allow for a peace summit to take place. If he is to take sides, he should take the side of dialogue.