Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has stated that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro should be tried in Venezuela rather than in the United States, where he is currently being held following his abduction by the US military. In an interview, Lula said that restoring democracy in Venezuela should be the priority and insisted that the country’s issues must be resolved by its own people without foreign interference. He criticised the idea of one nation invading another to capture its president.

Lula’s remarks come as Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, works to release hundreds of political prisoners detained during Maduro’s presidency, which began in 2013. The Brazilian leader has openly condemned the abduction of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a US military operation ordered by then-President Donald Trump on January 3. Maduro was flown to New York after a violent raid in Caracas and now faces US charges related to drug trafficking.

The Trump administration has justified its actions as part of anti-drug efforts, though US data does not list Venezuela among major drug producers. Trump has also expressed interest in Venezuelan oil reserves and invited US companies to exploit them.