The presidents of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, spoke this Wednesday (14), by telephone, about the situation in Venezuela after the United States attack and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro.
In a statement, the Kremlin also reported that both presidents exchanged opinions on current international issues, “with a focus on the situation in Venezuela”.
“[Os presidentes] emphasized the fundamental approaches shared by Russia and Brazil in relation to guaranteeing the state sovereignty and national interests of the Bolivarian Republic”, says the note from the Russian presidency.
Itamaraty also confirmed the conversation between the presidents. Still according to Moscow, Lula and Putin agreed to look for ways to reduce tension in Latin America and other regions.
“[Ambos] agreed to continue coordinating efforts, including within the UN and through BRICS, to reduce tension in Latin America and other regions,” the Moscow statement said.
The note from the Russian presidency concludes by stating that “issues relating to the development of bilateral cooperation in various areas” were also discussed in detail in the context of negotiations for the next meeting of the Russia-Brazil High-Level Commission, which should take place in February this year.
Criticism of US action
Both presidents criticized the invasion of Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro by the US military, claiming it was a violation of international law. Shortly after the incident, Russia condemned the “act of armed aggression” against Venezuela. Already the Brazilian president stated that the action went beyond the acceptable line.
“These acts represent a very serious affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community. Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step towards a world of violence, chaos and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism”, said Lula at the time.
