The Brazilian President Jaix Bolsonaro said yesterday Monday that his government is close to an agreement with that of Russia to supply cheaper diesel, which, if it becomes a reality, will be a tangible benefit to the friendly relationship it seeks to maintain with the Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The far-right head of state did not give further details. Neither Mr. Bolsonaro's office nor Brazil's energy ministry immediately responded when asked by Reuters news agency to comment on the announcement.
«It's reasonable and possibly could be done,» an economy ministry official said on condition of anonymity. He refrained from going into details.
A senior executive at Petroleo Brasileiro SA - or Petrobras - the public company that supplies most of the fuel consumed in Latin America's largest economy, told Reuters that the idea does not surprise him but raises concerns, also avoiding giving further details.
High fuel prices are among the factors hurting the popularity of Mr Bolsonaro, who is seeking re-election to office in October. A big favourite in the polls is the centre-left former president Luis Inácio Lula da Silva.
It is not clear how Brazil could obtain diesel from Russia without violating the sanctions imposed by the West on Moscow because of the military invasion of Ukraine.
President Bolsonaro defied US requests and met his Russian counterpart Putin a few days before the war broke out, on 24 February. Since then, he has asserted that his personal relationship with Mr Putin has allowed Brazil to maintain its access to Russian fertiliser, a key raw material for his country's giant agri-food sector.
