Listen to this articleBrazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (centre) warned about spiralling tensions between Washington and Caracas as he opens a summit of the Mercosur bloc on Saturday. (Photo: AFP)FOZ DO IGUACU, Brazil - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Saturday that US military action in Venezuela would spark a “humanitarian catastrophe”, as he opened a summit of the South American trading bloc Mercosur. Lula’s comments come amid spiralling tensions between Washington and Caracas — and after US President Donald Trump left open the possibility of war against the government of Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. “An armed intervention in Venezuela would be a humanitarian catastrophe for the hemisphere and a dangerous precedent for the world,” he said. Trump has also announced a blockade on oil tankers under sanctions that are leaving or arriving in Venezuela.

Source: Bangkok Post December 20, 2025 15:16 UTC