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 U.S. 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 Zelenskyy 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.