Latin America Advisor
Energy Advisor
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What Is Driving Brazil to Import Russian Diesel?
Brazil is seeking to buy as much diesel from Russia as possible, Foreign Minister Carlos França said on July 12. // File Photo: Itamaraty via Wikimedia Commons.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Carlos França said on July 12 that Brazil is looking to buy as much diesel as it can from Russia. When questioned about the opinions of Western countries on that decision, França noted that Russia is one of Brazil’s strategic partners through the BRICS bloc. Why is Brazil unable to produce and supply enough of its own diesel fuel, and why is Russia the country’s diesel supplier of choice? What geopolitical dynamics are at play in the decision to import Russian diesel, and how might trade flows of diesel fuel in the Americas change as a result? Will any supply agreements follow into the next presidential administration in Brazil, regardless of the candidate elected to office?
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Gonzalo Paz, adjunct professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Latin American Studies: “The recent decision by the Brazilian government to keep importing energy and fertilizers from Russia is better explained by the political urgency generated by the upcoming presidential election. Bolsonaro is trailing Lula in all serious polls. So everything in the current Brazilian government is aligned with the goal of the re-election of the president in October. Nevertheless, foreign policy factors are also at play. Brazil, as a member of the BRICS, has been reluctant to engage in a full fledged repudiation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Bolsonaro’s personal sympathy for Vladimir Putin is also at play. Bolsonaro also had warm relations with former U.S. President Trump, which shows the road ahead keeping and developing warm relations with Putin. We need to remember Bolsonaro’s…”
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