At the end of his state visit to Portugal, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized Russia's attack on Ukraine, Reuters and Tagesschau reported.
"We condemn Ukraine's territorial violations and believe in an international order based on law and respect for national sovereignty," he told parliament in Lisbon on the 49th anniversary of the so-called Carnation Revolution, which returned Portugal to democracy.
"A military policy directed against a people who choose their freedom will never win," Lula said.
Opponents of Brazil's president condemned his visit to Portugal's parliament on Tuesday as "hypocritical," while a group of supporters hailed him as a "savior of nations."
At a protest organized by the far-right Chega party, people chanted: "Lule's place in prison", a reference to the fact that he was jailed in 2018 for bribery. The sentence was overturned in 2021, and Lula then defeated right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro in last year's election.
While Lula spoke in parliament, Chega MPs pounded on their desks and held up placards reading: "Enough corruption". MPs brought Ukrainian flags after Lula angered many by suggesting that both Ukraine and Russia were to blame for the war.
"Brazilian democracy has recently gone through periods of great threat ... they tried to turn our clocks back 50 years," Lula told parliament. "The news I am giving you is that Brazilian democracy has demonstrated its strength and resilience."
Despite his criticism of Russia, Lula, who wants to mediate with China, has not called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
Instead, he repeated his call for peace talks. "War cannot last forever."
