Brazil's Bolsonaro calls Musk's Twitter bid a 'breath of hope'

Further chilling Brazil-U.S. relations, Bolsonaro visited Moscow for a friendly meeting with President Vladimir Putin days before the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the Brazilian leader has refused to condemn.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called Elon Musk's proposed takeover of Twitter Inc a "breath of hope" as the two met in Brazil on Friday, adding he hoped the U.S. billionaire would help end the "lies" about his widely criticized stewardship of the Amazon. Bolsonaro has blasted major social media platforms for their efforts to combat disinformation, including taking down his baseless comments linking COVID-19 vaccines to developing AIDS. Musk, CEO of electric carmaker Tesla Inc and rocket company SpaceX who Bolsonaro called a "legend of liberty," has vowed to defend free speech on Twitter.

Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist, has been globally condemned for advocating more mining and farming in the Amazon and for Brazil's environmental backsliding. Recent satellite data show deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon has surged to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro. Speaking with Musk by his side at an upscale hotel in the countryside near Sao Paulo, Bolsonaro hailed Musk's bid for Twitter, saying "for us here it was like a breath of hope."

"We need, and are counting on Elon Musk for the Amazon to be known by all in Brazil and the world, to show ... how we have protected it, and how much harm is caused by those who spread lies about that region." Musk's surprise visit to the event, which included business leaders such as Telecom Italia Chief Executive Pietro Labriola and Banco BTG Pactual Chairman Andre Esteves, follows talks with Brazil's government to use his Starlink satellite network to provide internet for rural schools and help monitoring in the Amazon rainforest.

Musk tweeted that he aimed to discuss further monitoring of the rainforest and an effort to bring broadband internet to rural areas. The visit offered a boost for Bolsonaro, who faces growing isolation over his environmental record and friendly relations with Russian President Vladmir Putin.

In comments to students streamed on social media, Musk and Bolsonaro did not say how they would improve environmental monitoring, which Brazilian space agency INPE does already via satellite. Bolsonaro is a longtime conservative firebrand who defends Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship, and Musk has recently described his own politics drifting to the right. On Wednesday he said he previously voted for Democrats, but will now vote for Republicans.

Bolsonaro lost an ally when former U.S. President Donald Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid, and the Brazilian president was slow to acknowledge U.S. President Joe Biden's victory. Bolsonaro has still not spoken to Biden since the Democrat took office. Further chilling Brazil-U.S. relations, Bolsonaro visited Moscow for a friendly meeting with President Vladimir Putin days before the Feb. 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which the Brazilian leader has refused to condemn.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)