Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has warned that continued US military intervention in neighboring Venezuela could lead to a humanitarian disaster across the entire Latin American region. He emphasized that dialogue and diplomacy, rather than conflict, are essential to avoid escalation.
“Problems cannot be solved with bullets,” President Lula said while addressing the issue. His remarks were reported on Saturday (December 20) local time.
According to Reuters, Lula made these comments at the summit of the South American regional bloc Mercosur amid rising tensions between Washington and Caracas. Concerns have intensified after US President Donald Trump recently refused to completely rule out the possibility of military action against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking in the southern Brazilian city of Foz do Iguaçu, Lula said that more than four decades after the 1982 Falklands War, South America is once again facing the fear of foreign military intervention. Referring to the conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina, he warned that history could repeat itself if diplomacy is abandoned.
Lula further cautioned that any armed intervention in Venezuela would trigger a humanitarian catastrophe not only for the country itself but for the entire Western Hemisphere, setting a dangerous precedent on the global stage.
Following the Mercosur summit, Latin American leaders reaffirmed their commitment to upholding democratic principles and human rights in Venezuela through peaceful means. Presidents of Argentina, Paraguay and Panama, along with senior officials from Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, endorsed a joint declaration emphasizing dialogue and regional stability as the only viable path forward.