'Humanitarian catastrophe': Brazil's president urges US not to intervene in Venezuela
Photo: Lula da Silva (Getty Images)
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said that "armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe" if the US were to take such a step, according to Reuters.
As reported, on Tuesday, December 16, US President Donald Trump announced a total blockade on all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuelan waters. This marked another step by Washington to increase pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro, targeting the country’s main source of revenue.
Against this backdrop, the leaders of Latin America’s two largest economies, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, earlier this week called for restraint amid rising tensions.
However, on Saturday, during a summit of the South American trade bloc Mercosur in the city of Foz do Iguaçu, Lula made a sharper statement, warning that such actions would set a "dangerous precedent for the entire world."
He added that more than 40 years after the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, "the South American continent is once again haunted by the military presence of an extra-regional power."
In a joint statement following the Mercosur summit, Latin American leaders reaffirmed their commitment to upholding democratic principles and human rights in Venezuela through peaceful means.
According to Reuters, the declaration was backed by the presidents of Argentina, Paraguay, and Panama, as well as senior officials from Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
US–Venezuela tensions
Earlier, President Trump said he does not rule out a future military campaign against Venezuela.
Last week, on December 10, US forces seized a Venezuelan oil tanker. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that the United States would continue detaining tankers departing from Venezuela until the Maduro regime returns "all stolen American assets."
