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Lula da Silva tells Maduro Brazil ready to offer help amid US threats

During the phone call the Brazilian leader "expressed concern about the US military presence in the Caribbean"

RIO DE JANEIRO, December 11. /TASS/. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro held a "secret conversation" last week, during which Lula indicated his readiness to assist the Venezuelan government amid threats of US attacks and a possible invasion, O Globo reported, citing sources.

According to the newspaper, during the phone call the Brazilian leader "expressed concern about the US military presence in the Caribbean" and reaffirmed his intention to support Venezuela. The newspaper’s sources did not disclose the details of any agreements.

This was the first conversation between the two leaders since Maduro’s re-election in 2024. One source described the exchange as "pleasant."

Earlier, the Kremlin press service reported that Putin had held a phone call with Maduro and expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people. The Russian leader reaffirmed his support for the Venezuelan government’s policy aimed at protecting national interests and sovereignty amid growing external pressure.

Maduro has repeatedly warned that Venezuela is facing the most serious threat of a US invasion in the past 100 years, claiming that Washington seeks to gain control over the world’s largest proven oil reserves. The United States has leveled unsubstantiated accusations that the Venezuelan authorities are not doing enough to combat drug smuggling.

The US Navy has deployed a strike group led by the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean Sea. Since September, US forces have sunk at least 20 speedboats in the region, causing nearly 90 fatalities.

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United States Venezuela Brazil

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