Despite the massive campaign of Western sanctions against Moscow, Brazil and Russia are seeking to maintain current commercial, economic, and investment links, with a specific emphasis on Russian fertilizer exports, Russian Ambassador to Brazil Alexey Labetsky told Sputnik.

The European Union had agreed to freeze European assets linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov over Moscow's operation in Donbass.

The European decision was accompanied by a wave of sanctions from the US, Europe, and other Western allies.

Labetsky expressed that  Brazil is Russia's main trade partner in Latin America, with the turnover having reached almost $7.5 billion last year. "Of course, we are going to develop and boost this trend, also under the new circumstances," he said.

During the official visit of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to Russia, the mutual interest in developing trade, economic, and investment ties was discussed.

The Ambassador revealed that Russian fertilizers are crucial for Brazil's agriculture, describing the sector as a "locomotive" of the Brazilian economy. Labetsky expressed that like Brazil, Russia wants "to do everything to ensure that everything that was done by us and accumulated in the previous period would work both today and in the future."

Brazil refuses to condemn Russia's operation in Ukraine

Last week, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stated that his nation would not support a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin for his military operation in Ukraine and will instead maintain a neutral position.

It is noteworthy that Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that the goal of the special military operation is to protect people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime for the past eight years.

The operation aims to prevent the demilitarization and disarmament of Ukraine and to bring to justice all those responsible for the bloody crimes against civilians in Donbass.