The Minister of Defense, José Múcio, said on Friday (05) that carefully follows the developments of the growing tension between Venezuela and the United States, especially due to the possibility of reflexes at the northern border of Brazil. He pointed out that the Armed Forces had already reinforced their presence in the region even before the recent aggravation of the diplomatic situation.
“We are aware of our border. We do not want it to become the stage for conflict. Brazil is a peaceful nation. We invest in defense to protect our territory, not to invade others,” said the minister after a meeting with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
According to Múcio, Brazil already performs regular operations on the Venezuela border and, in 2024, had planned to perform Operation Atlas, prior to the intensification of the crisis between Caracas and Washington. He also stressed that sending troops to the region has other strategic objectives.
“We are repositioning forces in that area thinking about COP30, as well as ensuring support for remote and difficult to access. Troops is not directly related to the conflict. We are not there to take sides,” he said.
Geopolitical context and diplomatic concerns
The current tension adds to the history of instability in the region. In December 2023, Brazil had already shifted military personnel to the Venezuela border in response to the dispute between Caracas and Georgetown through the territory of Essaquibo, Guyana.
About the recent escalation between the governments of Nicolás Maduro and Donald Trump, Múcio compared the situation to a “neighbor fight”:
“I don’t want them to mess with my wall or the front of my home. That’s what we want to avoid on the Brazilian border. We hope everything will be resolved,” he said.
During the week, Brazil signed a joint document with Latin American and Caribbean countries expressing concern about the US military presence on the Venezuelan coast.
Militarization and exchanges of accusations
The movement of US military forces in the Caribbean has intensified. The Trump government claims that shipping and even a submarine for Venezuela is part of a drug trafficking operation. The US government accuses Maduro of leading a drug cartel, while experts heard by international vehicles reject Venezuela’s characterization as “narcobing.”
This Saturday (6), Maduro asked the US to reduce the tension and stop seeking a “change of regime” in Latin America:
“The US government should abandon violent regime change plans in Venezuela and respect our sovereignty and right to peace,” he said.
Recent incidents increase tension
On Thursday (4), the US Department of Defense accused Venezuela of having performed military flights near an American ship in international waters. For the Pentagon, the action would have been “highly provocative” and aimed to interfere with operations against drug trafficking. The Venezuelan government did not comment on this accusation.
In the same period, international vehicles reported that the US sent ten F-35 fighters to Puerto Rico, American territory in the Caribbean. According to sources cited by Reuters, the measure would be related to operations against drug cartels.
Finally, former President Donald Trump published a video on Tuesday (2) showing an alleged attack on a drug vessel near the Venezuelan coast, which would have resulted in the deaths of 11 people. Maduro, in turn, accused the US of using artificial intelligence to manipulate the images.
