Brazil will not send troops to Ukraine but would support a peacekeeping mission, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said in a joint statement on February 20 with Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro during a bilateral summit marking 200 years of relations, O Globo reported.

"Brazil is ready to do anything for peace. This is what we have been fighting for exactly two years, and Brazil will not change its position," Lula said.

His comments addressed reports in international media, including The Economist, suggesting Brazilian and Chinese forces could be deployed following a potential peace agreement. These reports cited unnamed US government officials.

Lula stated that resolving the war would require direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, while stressing the EU's crucial role. "The Ukraine problem will be resolved at the negotiating table. Trump's role in wanting to negotiate without listening to the European Union is bad, very bad," he said. "The European Union cannot be left out of the negotiation."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has questioned Europe's potential role in peace talks, suggesting European leaders were more interested in prolonging the war than ending it and "wasted several chances" to settle the conflict. 

In a historic turnaround, US President Donald Trump has sidelined Kyiv and shifted toward direct communication with Russian President Vladimir Putin, recently calling Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky a "dictator" after Zelensky accused him of living in a "bubble of Russian disinformation."

The US has also opposed labelling Moscow as the aggressor in a draft G7 statement marking the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, removing pro-Ukraine language from Canada's initial draft, according to four senior officials cited by the New York Times.

In discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week, Lula reiterated that peace efforts must include both Russia and Ukraine. "We recognise the importance of a solution that includes all parties," Lula wrote on social media.

Brazil and China launched the "Group of Friends of Peace" initiative at the UN last September, aiming to draft a peace plan to end the conflict.

“It is necessary to respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of all countries, observe the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, value the legitimate security concerns of all countries, and ensure the legitimate living space of all ethnic groups,” said a statement of China’s Foreign Ministry. However, Zelensky dismissed the proposal as "destructive," stating that countries must clearly choose between supporting the war or helping to stop Russia's invasion.