Brazil's Lula Voices Opposition to U.S. Posturing with Venezuela

Brazil's Lula da Silva came out in opposition to U.S. aggression towards the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro at a summit with Mercosur leaders on Saturday in Brazil.

The Brazilian president warned that a U.S. "armed intervention" in the region would lead to a "humanitarian catastrophe" as the Trump administration raises the ante in the midst of a massive deployment of military assets–the largest in Latin American history–in an effort to apply growing pressure on the Maduro regime.

Lula's comments took place at the annual Mercosur Summit, a five-nation trading bloc consisting of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia, including an additional set of associate states that include Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, hosted at the tri-border city of Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, nestled between Paraguay and Argentina.

The summit focused heavily on the ongoing tensions between the United States and Caracas, where an embattled regime of Nicolás Maduro is attempting to keep itself alive by leveraging its relationships with regional partners.

Lula, who has expressed friendly relations with the Venezuelan pariah, warns that U.S. intervention will risk destabilizing the broader region, thus offering himself as "mediator" in the dispute.

Javier Milei of Argentina, however, an ideological foe to Brazil's Left-wing government, clashed with Lula, voicing his support for U.S. operations in the South Caribbean during the conference:

"Argentina welcomes the pressure from the United States and Donald Trump to free the Venezuelan people."

Milei also shared harsh words for the Maduro regime, which was suspended from the Mercosur bloc in 2016, and then indefinitely in 2017 for failing to uphold democratic standards and for failing to adhere to certain human rights commitments required for the bloc's membership:

"Venezuela", Milei added, "continues to suffer a devastating political, humanitarian, and social crisis. The atrocious and inhuman dictatorship of the narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro spreads a dark shadow over our region. Such a danger and shame cannot continue to exist on the continent, or it will end up dragging us all down with it."

Also tabled by the Mercosur conference was a monumental trade deal between the Mercosur body and the European Union, aimed at establishing what could be the world's largest free-trade area if concluded.

The agreement is aimed at boosting free trade between the two blocs and expanding domestic production for the South American countries, providing cheaper agricultural products for a demanding European population, as previously reported by Sociedad Media.

President Lula, however, has reportedly threatened to walk from the deal late last week, accusing European counterparts of delaying the finalization process.

European Union member states have been reeling from widespread protests in recent months as domestic farmers protest against any deal with Mercosur, which may effectively de-market their products.