Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Wednesday that he plans to personally encourage Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend the upcoming peace talks with Ukraine, set to take place in Istanbul on Thursday.

Speaking during his official visit to China, Lula expressed his willingness to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv, stating, “When I arrive in Moscow, I will try to speak with Putin. I will say, ‘Comrade Putin, go to Istanbul and negotiate.’ It costs me nothing, but it could mean a great deal for peace.”

Lula emphasized that a direct meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would be far more constructive than continued mutual accusations. “Dialogue helps prevent more civilian and child casualties and reduces the destruction of infrastructure,” he said.

“We all know the roots of this conflict,” Lula added. “But now is not the time to revisit causes—it is time to contribute to peace.”

It is worth noting that Istanbul previously hosted several rounds of negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in March 2022, in efforts to reach a resolution to the war, which has now entered its third year.