Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva lamented this Saturday that the leaders of European countries, with the exception of Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, were absent from the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow.

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“France had to participate in the celebrations, Germany also had to be here. All of Europe had to be here that day, Victory Day over Nazism” said the Brazilian president, quoted by the Russian press agency TASS agency.

Lula added that his country preserves the memory of the Soviet feat so that Nazism never raises its head again and questioned “how can we criticize a country that lost 26 million people?” referring to Soviet citizens who died fighting fascism.

Regarding the talks he held in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, Lula stressed that “Russia remains an important partner for Brazil in the areas of gas, oil, and the construction of small nuclear reactors.”

Lula stressed the importance of ensuring Brazil’s long-term energy stability and the need to take advantage of all available energy opportunities. In addition, Brazil’s intention to increase cooperation in the exploration and production of critical minerals is emphasized.

Lula, who arrived in the Russian capital to participate in the celebrations on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany, said yesterday that he discussed with Putin “the need to strengthen multilateralism”.

In that context, he announced, as a result of the meeting with his Russian colleague, the resumption of work and the High-Level Commission on Cooperation between Brazil and Russia which had not met since 2015.

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