Former US President Joe Biden, while in office, said he wanted Russia to be destroyed, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in an interview with French newspaper Le Monde.

Commenting on the situation in Ukraine, the Brazilian leader said that at first he had condemned Russia’s special military operation. He stressed however that "Western countries also bear part of responsibility."

"Joe Biden, whom I talked to about this at length, thought that Russia should be destroyed. And Europe, which held a middle-ground position for some time, finally sided with Washington and now is spending billions to rearm itself. That concerns me. If you keep speaking only about war there will never be peace," he said.

He also stated his readiness to support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine and recalled that back in 20024 Brazil along with China and 11 other countries had offered a peace settlement plan.

Source: TASS

MSK/