Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva issued a stark warning against potential armed intervention in Venezuela during his address at the 67th Summit of Heads of State of Mercosur and Associated States on Saturday. The Latin American leader characterized military action as potentially triggering “a humanitarian catastrophe” for the hemisphere while establishing a dangerous global precedent.
President Lula directly referenced recent United States military maneuvers and economic sanctions against Venezuela, including the naval blockade operations intercepting oil tankers bound for Venezuelan ports. The Brazilian leader expressed profound concern over what he described as “the military presence of an extra-regional power” in Latin American affairs, emphasizing that regional prosperity and peace constitute the only acceptable doctrine for South American nations.
Lula revealed details of a recent diplomatic exchange with US President Donald Trump, during which he advocated for negotiated solutions as fundamentally “more effective and less costly” than military confrontation. This diplomatic overture occurs alongside the Trump administration’s formal designation of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government as “a foreign terrorist organization” and its enforcement of comprehensive oil embargo measures.
The Brazilian president’s statements reflect growing regional unease, with multiple Latin American nations and regional blocs voicing opposition to unilateral actions against Venezuela. These entities have increasingly called upon the United Nations and broader international community to facilitate diplomatic dialogue and peaceful conflict resolution, challenging the current escalation of military and economic pressure tactics.