Brazilian Defense Minister Expresses Concern over Venezuela-US Crisis

The Defense Minister, José Múcio, expressed concern that the crisis between Venezuela and the United States (US) could reach the border of Brazil and recalled that the Armed Forces had sent reinforcements to the region before the recent tensions. ‘We are concerned, as I said, about our border, so that it does not suffer and does not transform our border into a trench. Brazil is a peaceful country. We invest in weapons, in our forces, to defend our heritage. It is not to invade anyone’s land,’ commented Múcio on Friday (5) after a meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Minister explained that Brazil maintains ongoing operations on the border with Venezuela and had planned Operation Atlas for this year before the escalation of tensions between Caracas and Washington. ‘We are deploying troops to the borders, thinking about COP30, thinking about providing greater assistance to a more inhospitable, more inaccessible part of the border. Suddenly, this problem erupted. The person says they went there to help Venezuela. [They did] not go there to help anyone,’ added the minister. In December 2023, Brazil sent troops to the border with Venezuela amid tensions between the government of Nicolas Maduro and Guyana, which are vying for control of the Essequibo region.