Calls for 'diplomacy,' 'cooperation' at BRICS summit 

RIO DE JANEIRO, Apr 29: Brazil, which chairs the 11-nation BRICS grouping that also includes Russia and China, called for closer cooperation Monday as the world deals with conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza and trade wars under US President Donald Trump. 
Foreign ministers of the bloc met in Rio de Janeiro as Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a three-day truce with Ukraine, whose President Volodymyr Zelensky described the move as "a new attempt at manipulation."
"We advocate diplomacy instead of confrontation, and cooperation instead of unilateralism," Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told the BRICS envoys in Rio.
"The conflict in Ukraine continues to have a severe humanitarian impact, highlighting the urgent need for a diplomatic solution," he added.
Ministers from the bloc -- which also includes Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates -- met to hone their agenda ahead of a leaders' summit on July 6 and 7.
The group has traditionally been cautious in its comments about the Ukraine war, issuing calls for peace while steering clear of condemning Russia's invasion.
Russia is a founding BRICS member and its foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, attended the Rio gathering.
The meeting came at the start of what the United States has called a "critical week" for talks on ending the Ukraine war.    �"AFP