Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Monday that maintaining Latin America and the Caribbean as a “zone of peace” is a top priority for his government. Speaking at the Itamaraty Palace in Brasília, he cautioned that foreign interventions in the region “can cause greater damage than what they aim to prevent.”
A Call for Peace in a Polarized Hemisphere
Lula’s comments came as tensions rise between the United States and Venezuela. Former U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered military operations in the Caribbean, near Venezuelan waters, claiming to target drug traffickers heading toward U.S. territory. Meanwhile, Nicolás Maduro’s government accuses Washington of attempting to provoke an invasion to overthrow his regime.
Although Lula did not directly mention the standoff, he acknowledged that Latin America is experiencing “growing polarization and instability.” During the ceremony, where newly appointed foreign ambassadors presented their credentials, he emphasized Brazil’s role in defending peace and dialogue.
“In Latin America and the Caribbean, we live through a period of rising polarization and instability. Keeping our region a zone of peace is our priority. We are a continent free of weapons of mass destruction, without ethnic or religious conflicts,” Lula said. “Foreign interventions can cause greater harm than the problems they seek to solve.”
The president also wished success to the new diplomats beginning their missions in Brazil, assuring that “they will be treated as long-standing friends by the Itamaraty.”
“What we want to show the world,” he added, “is that multilateralism must be strengthened through cordial, commercial, and peaceful relations — without hatred, without denialism, and without violating democracy or human rights.”
The event marked the formal delivery of diplomatic credentials, a symbolic act confirming that Brazil officially recognizes the ambassadors appointed by their respective governments.
Possible Meeting with Trump in Asia
The Venezuelan crisis may also be on the agenda for a potential meeting between Lula and Trump during an upcoming trip to Asia. Both leaders were invited to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Malaysia, where teams from both governments are working to coordinate a bilateral encounter on the sidelines of the event.
If confirmed, it would be their first face-to-face meeting since briefly exchanging greetings at the United Nations earlier this year. The two also spoke by phone earlier this month and agreed to meet again soon.
According to reports from Brazilian journalists, Lula is expected to reaffirm his opposition to any form of intervention in South American countries — a stance that directly contrasts with Trump’s signals of supporting stronger U.S. involvement in the region.
The ASEAN Summit brings together leaders from ten Southeast Asian nations — including Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Singapore — to discuss economic growth, regional cooperation, and stability.
As diplomatic tensions simmer, Lula’s message seeks to position Brazil as a stabilizing voice amid the renewed ideological divide across the Americas.