Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the United States should stop "encouraging war" in Ukraine and "start talking about peace".

In this way, the international community will be able to "convince" the Russian and Ukrainian presidents that "peace is in the interest of the whole world," Lula told reporters in Beijing at the end of a visit where he met President Xi Jinping.

AFP reported that Lula said:

The United States needs to stop encouraging war and start talking about peace. The European Union should start talking about peace.

Lula's visit to China, Brazil's largest trading partner, focused on strengthening relations and spreading the message that "Brazil is back" as a major player on the world stage.

He is doing a balancing act as he also seeks closer ties with Washington. His visit follows a meeting with US President Joe Biden in February.

Unlike the Western powers, neither China nor Brazil imposed sanctions on Russia after Moscow invaded Ukraine, and both seek to position themselves as peace brokers.

Before the trip, Lula suggested creating a group of countries to mediate the war and said he would discuss this matter in Beijing.

Asked about the progress of this initiative after his conversation with Xi, Lula did not elaborate.

"It is important to be patient" to talk to Putin and Zelensky, he said.

But above all, it is necessary to persuade the countries that supply arms and encourage war, to stop.