Lula warns against US military intervention in Venezuela
"Armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian disaster for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world," Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said on Saturday at the summit of the South American confederation Mercosur in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu.
- World
- DPA
- Published Date: 06:19 | 20 December 2025
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has warned against US military intervention in Venezuela.
"Armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian disaster for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world," Lula said on Saturday at the summit of the South American confederation Mercosur in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu.
The US military has assembled a force of warships, fighter jets and soldiers off the coast of Venezuela. Officially, the mission is aimed at combating drug smuggling. Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, however, fears that Washington wants to force a change of power in Caracas.
Mercosur is divided on the issue, however, with the right-wing governments of Argentina and Paraguay supporting a tough stance against Venezuela.
"Maduro is a dictator and must go," said Argentinian Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, according to a report in the newspaper La Nación before the summit began.
Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano stressed the threat to regional security posed by the Venezuelan government and called for the release of political prisoners.
Mercosur is made up of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Venezuela was a member but has been suspended.
Foz do Iguaçu is located near the world's largest waterfall, the Iguaçu Falls, which straddle the border between Brazil and Argentina. The city also sits on the border with Paraguay.
"Armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian disaster for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world," Lula said on Saturday at the summit of the South American confederation Mercosur in the Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu.
The US military has assembled a force of warships, fighter jets and soldiers off the coast of Venezuela. Officially, the mission is aimed at combating drug smuggling. Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro, however, fears that Washington wants to force a change of power in Caracas.
Mercosur is divided on the issue, however, with the right-wing governments of Argentina and Paraguay supporting a tough stance against Venezuela.
"Maduro is a dictator and must go," said Argentinian Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, according to a report in the newspaper La Nación before the summit began.
Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano stressed the threat to regional security posed by the Venezuelan government and called for the release of political prisoners.
Mercosur is made up of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Venezuela was a member but has been suspended.
Foz do Iguaçu is located near the world's largest waterfall, the Iguaçu Falls, which straddle the border between Brazil and Argentina. The city also sits on the border with Paraguay.
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