It's Not Up to US to Decide on Brazilian, Argentinian Leaders' Foreign Visits, Kremlin Aide Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Kremlin is aware of the United States’ recommendations for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez to cancel their visits to Russia, but Brazil and Argentina are independent countries and make decisions without foreign input, the Russian President’s Aide Yury Ushakov said.

In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Bolsonaro to visit Moscow in February. According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, the US warned the Brazilian leader that the visit may be interpreted as taking sides in the Ukrainian crisis and pressured Bolsonaro to cancel the trip.

“As for visits from Latin America, tomorrow’s visit of Fernandez and Bolsonaro’s forthcoming visit two weeks later, we know, we follow the press and from other sources we know that Brazilian and Argentinian leaders used to refrain from contacting Russia. But these are large and solid states which decide for themselves how to maintain international affairs, with whom to be in contact, and what countries to visit,” Ushakov said.

The Kremlin believes that there would be no substantial obstacles, and that nothing would prevent the visits, useful to all three countries, according to Ushakov.

On 1 February, Bolsonaro said in an interview that he was not going to raise the issue of the Ukrainian crisis during the meeting with Vladimir Putin, and added that the talks would be devoted, in the main, to fertilizers. The sides are also expected to discuss a wide agenda of bilateral relations within BRICS, which have nothing to do with the geopolitical situation in Eastern Europe.

The perilous situation around Ukraine has worsened over the past several months after Russia was accused by NATO and Ukraine of building up troops near the Ukrainian border and allegedly preparing for an invasion. Russia has consistently denied any plans to invade Ukraine, saying it has the right to move troops inside its territory, responding to what it considers threats to its national security, such as a growing NATO presence in Eastern Europe.