<span style="color: #222222;">Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said a coalition of neutral states must come together to help mediate a peace settlement between Russia and Ukraine.<br />''<br />''His remarks come after Russian President Vladimir Putin sparked outrage among Western allies over the weekend by claiming that they were extending the battle by supplying armaments to Ukraine.  <br />''<br />''Mr.Lula has positioned himself as a peace mediator to resolve the war, which began in February 2022 when Russia invaded the neighbouring country.<br />''<br />''His proposal, based on Brazil's legacy of non-intervention and neutrality, calls for a group of non-combatant states to hold discussions with both Russia and Ukraine.  <br />''<br />''Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met  Lula da Silva in Brasilia on Monday and thanked him for his peace efforts, remarking that Brazil and Russia shared views on the year-old conflict in Ukraine..<br />''<br />''On the other hand, Ukraine has criticized Lula's proposal and invited the Brazilian president to the war-torn country to see for himself the consequences of the Russian military operations.     </span><br />