Brazil, Mexico work to ease US-Venezuela tensions
The leaders of Brazil and Mexico have offered to intervene in an effort to prevent the risk of war between the United States and Venezuela.
The Latin American heavyweights are looking on in dismay as Washington ramps up military and economic pressure on Nicolás Maduro's government, raising fears of a direct effort to unseat the Venezuelan leader and its knock-on impact, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The United Nations Security Council will meet next Tuesday at the request of Caracas – backed by China and Russia – which urged an urgent meeting over the "ongoing US aggression.”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he was "very worried" about the mounting crisis on Brazil's doorstep.
The 80-year-old leftist said he had told US President Donald Trump that "things wouldn't be resolved by shooting, that it was better to sit down around a table to find a solution."
He said he had offered Brazil's help to both leaders to "avoid an armed conflict here in Latin America."
Lula spoke to Trump by phone earlier in December and the Brazilian leader said he may reach out to Trump again before Christmas to reinforce this offer, "so that we can have a diplomatic agreement and not a fratricidal war – I am at the disposal of both Venezuela and the US to contribute to a peaceful solution on our continent."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum also offered to act as a go-between in talks between Washington and Caracas to find "a peaceful solution so that there is no US intervention."
Russia meanwhile said it was in constant contact with close ally Maduro and called for a "de-escalation.”
Moscow's Foreign Ministry said it hoped the White House will "not allow a fatal mistake and will refrain from further sliding into a situation that threatens unpredictable consequences for the entire Western hemisphere."
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