MOSCOW -Brazil is interested in small nuclear reactors made by Russian state energy firm Rosatom, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday during a visit to Moscow that was overshadowed by international fears of a conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Bolsonaro snubbed U.S. calls to call off the trip, which coincided with intense Western diplomatic efforts to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin from invading his neighbor. Russia has denied it is planning an invasion.
Brazil has long had cordial ties with Russia, which is a fellow member of the BRICS group of emerging nations.
Speaking alongside Putin, the Brazilian far-right nationalist did not mention Ukraine by name, but said: "We pray for peace and respect all who act in that way."
Bolsonaro's two-hour talk with Putin at the Kremlin included discussion of sales of fertilizers that are badly needed by Brazilian agriculture and cooperation on defense and nuclear technology.
"Our corporation (Rosatom) is ready to participate in construction of new power units in Brazil, including low-capacity nuclear power plants, both on land and in floating versions," Putin said, touting Russia's small reactor technology.
Unlike other global figures including French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who were recently pictured speaking with Putin in the Kremlin at either ends of a vast white table, Bolsonaro enjoyed a cozier fireside chat with the Russian leader.
Both Macron and Scholz were kept further away due to their unwillingness to take Russian COVID-19 tests before their meetings with Putin. Bolsonaro, on the other hand, took the Russian test, his office confirmed.
Analysts said Bolsonaro was eager to visit Putin to present himself as less internationally isolated.
The Brazilian leader has seen his international clout diminish since former U.S. President Donald Trump, a key ally, lost his 2020 re-election bid. Bolsonaro has also been isolated due to his poor record in stopping Amazon deforestation and his widely criticized handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left Brazil with the world's third-highest death toll.
Bolsonaro arrived in Moscow on Tuesday wearing a face mask, which he rarely does in Brazil, and was given a tour of the Kremlin later that evening.
In September, Rosatom signed an agreement with Brazil's state-owned Eletronuclear, which manages the country's two reactors, to cooperate on the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants, the processing of nuclear materials and radioactive waste management.