MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula's team still working on an appointment with Zelensky

Zelensky has tried for months to talk with Lula

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has reportedly offered his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky two slots on his agenda for a bilateral meeting on the sides of this week's 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

Coordination teams from both leaders are working on a schedule to avoid a rerun of what happened in May in Japan during the G7 Summit where they were supposed to discuss Brazil's peace proposals for the war with Russia but failed to exchange a single word. “I think he was disappointed,” Zelensky said in an ironic tone at the time after trying for months to talk with Lula.

No date has yet been set for the meeting this time around, according to Brazilian Senator Jacques Wagner of Lula's Workers' Party (PT), who is also in New York.

In the meantime, Lula met this weekend with local and Brazilian businessmen during a dinner hosted by Federation of Industries of São Paulo (Fiesp) President Josué Gomes in New York. Lula arrived in the United States on Saturday after signing several cooperation agreements with the Cuban government in Havana.

On Tuesday, Lula will deliver the UNGA's opening speech for the eighth time in his life. His agenda will also include meetings with leaders of international organizations and bilateral encounters with various heads of state and government. Lula is also to get together with US President Joseph Biden on Wednesday to launch a global initiative to promote decent work.