President and re-election candidate Jair Bolsonaro (Liberal Party – PL) said on Tuesday, September 13, that talks with Russia continue to supply Brazil with Russian diesel as part of the government’s efforts to reduce fuel prices in the country.
In July, the president had stated that an agreement on the subject was “almost certain” and, at the time, expressed the expectation that the first shipments would arrive in Brazil in two months – which ended up not happening.
Before that, he had already mentioned the possibility in late June after a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We are negotiating with Putin the supply of cheaper diesel,” Bolsonaro said Tuesday in an interview on TV network SBT.
Bolsonaro added that the negotiations had gained substance from the changes in command of Petrobras and the Ministry of Mines and Energy.
The president also said that the initiative, if implemented, could result in lower food prices by reducing the cost of freight.
Russia has been under international sanctions since the special military operation in Ukraine, especially from the United States and the European Union – the European bloc used to be the leading consumer of gas and oil from the country but has cut a good part of its purchases.
Unlike the Europeans and the Americans, and even with the pressure from these countries, the Brazilian government continues negotiating with the Russians.
Despite the war, the government has already agreed to guarantee the supply of fertilizers from Russia.
Questioned in the interview, Bolsonaro also stated that there is still a possibility that the National Congress will still vote for tax reform this year.
The economy minister, Paulo Guedes, said last month that if Bolsonaro wins the October elections, Congress may approve tax and administrative reforms this year.
With information from Reuters