Brazil will not join Western sanctions against Russia. This was announced by President Jair Bolsonaro.

The president said that instead of economic sanctions, Brazil would maintain a balance.

“If we didn’t keep the balance, how do you think we could get the fertilizer that Brazil needs so much?” Bolsonaro added.

The Brazilian leader also added that the Brazilian authorities are now negotiating with some countries on the purchase of diesel fuel at a discount. With which countries, it is not specified.

Bolsonaro traveled to Moscow to meet with Russian President Putin days before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Brazil did not impose anti-Russian sanctions after the start of the war. Moreover, Bolsonaro has said that US and European sanctions against Russia have failed.

In June, the Brazilian leader also spoke on the phone with Putin. During the conversation, they discussed global food security and confirmed their intention to strengthen the strategic partnership between countries in the field of agriculture and energy.

In addition, Bolsonaro emphasized that Russia shares his concerns about Western interference in the "sovereignty of the Amazon." The President of Brazil has often called criticism of his side in connection with the fires in the Amazon an encroachment on the sovereignty of the country.

In 2019, at the G7 summit, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke about the need to take the burning rainforests under international protection. During the pre-election debate, US presidential candidate Joe Biden threatened to impose economic restrictions on Brazil if it does not cope with forest fires on its own.