Lula aide says no contradiction in supporting new Brazil oil exploration fronts

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva talks with Chief of Staff of the Presidency Rui Costa during a ceremony at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil March 10, 2023. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - There is no contradiction between defending an ecological transition and new oil exploration fronts, the chief of staff for Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Wednesday, as state-run giant Petrobras seeks clearance to drill a well at the mouth of the Amazon River.

"It's in the name - it is an ecological and energy transition," chief of staff Rui Costa said in a radio interview. "And to fund that transition, we need money."