Bolsonaro won't condemn Putin, says Brazil will remain neutral over invasion

FILE PHOTO: Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro looks on during the launch ceremony of the National Identity Card at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil February 23, 2022. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) -Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Sunday declined to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, while departing from his government's official stance at the United Nations to say Brazil would remain neutral.

Bolsonaro, a far-right populist, recently snubbed U.S. entreaties not to visit Putin in Moscow ahead of the invasion, and angered Western allies by saying he was "in solidarity with Russia," without elaborating.