Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday rebuked and reportedly “disauthorized” his vice president for condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reuters reported that Bolsonaro—who met last week in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin——suggested Vice President Hamilton Mourão’s comments on Ukraine should not be considered as official.
“It’s the president who should speak on the matter,” Bolsonaro said. “And the president is Jair Messias Bolsonaro. And that’s the final word.”
In his statement earlier Thursday, Mourão was unequivocal in his condemnation of Russian aggression and likened the current situation to that of Europe in the lead-up to World War II.
“The Western world is the same as it was in 1938 with Hitler, on the basis of appeasement, and Putin did not respect the appeasement,” Mourão said. “In my view, mere economic sanctions—which is an intermediate form of sanction—do not work.”
“The use of force is needed, a support for Ukraine, more than what is being put on,” he added. “If the Western world just let Ukraine falls, Bulgaria will be next, then the Baltic States, and so on. Just as Hitler’s Germany did in the 1930s.”
Brazil’s foreign ministry also released a statement on Thursday expressing “grave concern” about Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and calling for an immediate suspension in hostilities.
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