© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Donald Trump welcomes Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to the White House in Washington, U.S., March 19, 2019. REUTERS / Carlos Barria / File Photo
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil’s far-right President Jair Bolsonaro said in comments published on Friday that the war in Ukraine would not have happened if former US President Donald Trump remained in office, but did not give details. offers no explanation for how his close ally may have prevented the conflict.
The comments in an interview with the Veja news magazine could heighten tensions with Washington as Bolsonaro seeks to overtake his leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva ahead of Brazil’s presidential election vote on June 30. October,
Bolsonaro told Veja he had a face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden in June. But in remarks likely to infuriate the White House, he said many of the issues currently plaguing the world would not have happened if Trump had remained president.
“Some people think the war in Ukraine wouldn’t have happened if he was still in power,” Bolsonaro said. “I agree with that.”
He did not give more details.
Bolsonaro has long admired Trump, a right-wing populist, and watched his international standing dwindle following the 2020 US election. Bolsonaro was one of the last world leaders to recognize Biden’s victory, after repeating Trump’s false accusations of rigging the US election.
Trump endorsed Bolsonaro as the frontrunner in last Sunday’s first-round presidential election, saying Bolsonaro was “one of the great presidents of any country in the world… respect all over the world.”
Despite a better-than-expected performance in the first round, Bolsonaro cast new doubts in the interview about the security of Brazil’s voting system without proof, prompting fans to fear that You can refuse to accept defeat.
In his interview with Veja, he continued to baseless questions about Brazil’s electronic voting system, refusing to say that he would accept the results if he lost in the second round.
“There is a feeling in the public that something is devious,” he said. “I’m always worried.”
In the extensive interview, Bolsonaro also pledged more privatization if he is re-elected and said his frequent partner, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, “has all the symptoms of a dictator.”
He said he could consider a proposal to increase the number of Supreme Court justices after the election.
Bolsonaro pledged to do more privatization if he was re-elected, although he did not say which state-owned enterprises would be sold.
