Brazil defends Russia's permanence in the G20, a group that brings together the 20 largest economies on the planet, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos França said on Monday (April 18). The same position is being adopted by Economy Minister Paulo Guedes at meetings with G20, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank that are taking place in Washington this week.

“We have clearly expressed our position to the G20 so that Russia could participate in the leaders' summit. The exclusion of Russia does not address the real problem, which is the conflict,” said França in a press conference together with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Nigerian economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Unlike the Brazilian position, the United States announced on Monday (April 18) it intends to withdraw from G20 meetings in which diplomats and other members of the Russian government are present.

Fertilizers

At the meeting with the WTO director-general in Brasília, minister Carlos França informed that Brazil has asked for the organization's interference against sanctions on fertilizers and agricultural inputs imported from Russia. In França´s opinion, the international organization must act to prevent the worsening of food imbalances across the planet, since Russia is one of the world's main producers of chemical fertilizers.

According to Carlos França, it is necessary to maintain the free flow of raw materials for agriculture and prevent the interruption of food production chains. Besides Russia, the sanctions cover imports from Belarus, another major producer of agricultural inputs.

Regarding Brazil´s request about a WTO interference, the director-general of the body promised that she will analyze the issue. “I will work on it and see what can be done,” said Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. On her first trip to Latin America, she said to have asked Carlos França and President Jair Bolsonaro for Brazil to sell abroad part of its regulatory food stocks to regulate the supply of food in times of scarcity.

Minister França replied that Brazil seeks to expand its role in food security on the planet and that the country's agribusiness has maintained exports even in the most critical moments of the COVID-19 pandemic and has not stopped selling abroad. “The contracts were maintained and honored,” he pointed out.