President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (Servant of the People, center) sees the president (PT) as a channel for dialogue with Russia. Zelensky requested the with the PT member during the G7 summit both to present the Ukrainian view on the current state of the war and to ask for Lula’s intermediary in negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
There is no expectation of a meeting or phone call between Lula and Putin. The leaders may meet during the BRICS Summit, which will be held on September 12 and 13 in New Delhi, India.
Planalto’s assessment is that, as European countries do not maintain contact with Putin and the United States’ attention is focused on the war in Iran, Zelensky understands Brazil as capable of creating this bridge, as Lula and Putin talk.
After the meeting on Wednesday (June 17, 2026), Lula told journalists that he was the “best conversation” that he already had with Zelensky. He also declared that the conflict should have ended more than a year ago and presents no new developments in the diplomatic or military field. “A year ago I already thought that this war was time to end. This war is nothing new.”.
The first meeting between Lula and Zelensky took place in 2023, during the UN General Assembly. At the last G7 summit, held in June 2025 in Canada, prevented the 2 presidents from meeting.
