(Bloomberg) -- Russia asked Brazil to resume a bilateral dialogue forum the day after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva met for the first time with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to two Brazilian officials familiar with the discussion.

Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov lodged the request during a Thursday meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the officials said.

Zelenskiy said his forces will “de-occupy two more cities,” as President Joe Biden promised continued support for Ukraine.

Ukraine’s forces, which have struggled to advance against Russian defensive lines since the latest campaign began in early June, will press on with counteroffensive into the winter, Zelenskiy said during a visit to Washington, declining to name which cities he’s close to reclaiming.   

Zelenskiy, after leaving the US, met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Friday.

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