International

Lula defends opening peace negotiations in the war in Ukraine during a summit with Russia

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defended “avoiding an escalation and starting peace negotiations” in the war in Ukraine during his participation, by videoconference, in the BRICS summit, which holds its plenary session this Wednesday in the Russian city of Kazan.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva also said that “the time has come to move forward” in the creation of an alternative payment system that allows emerging countries not to use the dollar in their exchanges.

“Avoiding an escalation and starting peace negotiations is also crucial in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia,” Lula said in the final words of his speech.

Middle East and Ukraine, at the summit

The Brazilian ruler, who together with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, promotes a peace initiative that Ukraine has already rejected, made that brief reference to the conflict on European soil after talking about the war that Israel is fighting against the Palestinian armed group Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbula.

“When we face two wars with the potential to become global, it is essential to rescue our ability to work together for common objectives,” stressed the Brazilian leader.

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Lula canceled his trip to Russia on medical recommendation, after suffering a fall on Saturday at his residence, which caused a small cut on the back of his neck that required five stitches.

Xi Jinping asks for de-escalation

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an early de-escalation in Ukraine and the cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

“It is necessary to contribute to a prompt de-escalation in Ukraine (…) and achieve a cessation of hostilities and murders in Gaza and Lebanon as soon as possible,” Xi said during his speech at the summit.

Jinping held a meeting in the Russian city of Kazan with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he asked that China and India “resolve their conflicts and differences,” in the first formal meeting that both have in four years.

Xi indicated that both China and India “are ancient civilizations, large developing countries and important members of the Global South,” according to a statement published by the Chinese state network CCTV.

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Iranian president calls for a ceasefire in Palestine and Lebanon

For his part, the President of Iran, Masud Pezeshkian, “demanded” “an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Palestine and Lebanon,” on the first occasion that an Iranian president participates in a plenary session of the BRICS summit.

In addition, the Iranian president called for “the complete withdrawal of the troops of the occupying regime (Israel) from the occupied areas and immediate aid to the population of Gaza and to the displaced in Lebanon.”

Condemns Israeli bombing of Lebanon

The countries of the BRICS group condemned in the final declaration of the Kazan summit the Israeli bombings against the territory of Lebanon and against humanitarian centers in the Gaza Strip.

“We condemn the death of civilians and the enormous damage caused to civilian infrastructure as a result of Israeli attacks on civilian areas in Lebanon,” says the document released at the end of the meeting of the nine members of the BRICS in the Russian city of Kazan, a text that also condemns the Israeli attacks against centers, activities and humanitarian personnel in Gaza.

The BRICS call for an “immediate” end to hostilities in both Gaza and Lebanon.

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“We highlight the need to preserve the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon and create conditions for a political-diplomatic solution in order to maintain peace and stability in the Middle East,” the text says.

The joint statement warns that “a further escalation of the conflict in the Gaza Strip threatens with increased tensions, extremism and extremely harmful consequences at the regional and global level.”

The BRICS summit

The Kazan summit is the first to be held by the emerging economies group after its expansion from five to nine members last January.

“Now, in a limited format, we propose to consider the most relevant aspects of the global agenda, to exchange views on the issue of cooperation between the BRICS States at the international level, including the resolution of acute regional conflicts,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin, at the opening of the meeting.

Once the meeting is concluded in a small format, the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia – will sit down at a table with representatives of about twenty States invited to the event, including Turkey, Bolivia, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

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At the end of the summit, BRICS leaders will approve a joint statement on a number of global issues, including conflict in Ukraine.

What is the BRICS group

The BRICS group, founded in 2006 and held its first summit in 2009, integrates countries with a third of the world economy and more than 40% of the population.

Analysts point out that with this summit Putin tries to show the world that Russia is not as isolated as the West intends, while paving the way for the forging of a new world majority that challenges the hegemony of the United States.

Putin and Maduro will meet today on the sidelines of the summit

Vladimir Putin will also meet with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolás Maduro, who arrived this Tuesday in the Russian city of Kazan to participate in the XVI Summit of the BRICS emerging economy group to which the country intends to join, the Kremlin reported.

The Kremlin’s advisor for International Affairs, Yuri Ushakov, added that Putin and Maduro will talk about “bilateral affairs and cooperation within the framework of the BRICS.”

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International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”