In the photo, Nicolás Maduro (left), and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (right) during a joint press conference in 2023. Photo: Palácio do Planalto.
Guacamaya, December 11, 2025. In a conversation that even surprised regional allies, Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Nicolás Maduro held their first phone call of the year. The Brazilian president expressed his concern over the US military presence in the Caribbean and made clear his willingness to facilitate a “political way out amid increasing pressures from Donald Trump.”
Amid an escalating verbal, military, and diplomatic standoff between Washington and Caracas—intensified following the November 21 call between Trump and Maduro—another key exchange took place, which was not officially announced but has been confirmed by government sources in Brasilia and Caracas: a direct conversation between Lula and Maduro, the first in many months and described as “friendly” by those aware of its content.
According to sources from the newspaper O Globo, Lula used the contact to express his concern over the US “military harassment” in the Caribbean and reiterated that Brazil is prepared to contribute to any mediation effort that prevents an explosion in the region. In the conversation, described as cordial, Maduro avoided mentioning the ultimatums Trump has publicly issued for him to leave power. For both countries, commentators in Brasilia and Caracas noted, the simple act of resuming dialogue constitutes a positive signal.
Although the precise reasons for the call remain confidential, Brazilian officials admit that the progress of contacts between Trump and Maduro directly influenced Brazil’s decision to re-establish communication at the highest level. Brazil fears being sidelined in a scenario where Washington intensifies its pressure or even considers military options, a scenario Lula has repeatedly rejected in his conversations with Trump.
Another factor that influenced the timing was the recent visit to Caracas by Brazilian businessman Joesley Batista. Although Lula’s government insists it had no involvement in that trip, the fact that a prominent business figure met with Maduro led sectors of the Brazilian executive branch to conclude it was opportune to renew a direct channel with the Venezuelan leader.
Brazil is not coordinating a joint strategy with its neighbors but is maintaining discreet conversations with several governments in the region. One of them is Colombia, where Gustavo Petro has even proposed the city of Cartagena as a potential setting for a face-to-face meeting between Trump and Maduro. The proposal has not progressed but adds to the efforts of Latin American countries seeking to prevent a further escalation of the crisis.
As uncertainty grows, governments in the region are trying to open spaces for dialogue, convinced that a diplomatic—not military—solution is the only path capable of defusing the risk of a conflict with unpredictable consequences for all of Latin America.
