Khaberni - Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Friday called for the detained Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to be tried in Venezuela, not abroad, emphasizing that the priority is to "reestablish democracy in Venezuela."
In a television interview on the sidelines of an artificial intelligence summit held in New Delhi, India, Lula said: "If Maduro must be tried, his trial should take place in his country, not abroad," confirming that Brazil "cannot accept a country arresting the president of another country."
US forces kidnapped Maduro in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in January, before transferring him to New York where he was charged with overseeing a drug trafficking network.
Planned talks with Trump
Lula indicated that he intends to raise this issue in a written proposal to US President Donald Trump, expecting a meeting between them in Washington next month.
He explained that his country's citizens accused of committing crimes in the United States should be tried in Brazil, emphasizing his desire to negotiate with Trump on issues including organized crime, drug trafficking, and rare earth metals.
Brazil - sharing a border with Venezuela - plays an influential diplomatic role in South America, and Lula's relationship with Trump has improved since last year, despite previous tensions following Washington's imposition of tariffs on Brazilian goods due to Brasilia's dealings with former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces charges of planning a coup after losing the 2022 elections.
Reducing dependency on the dollar
Economically, Lula has called for diversifying Brazil's trade relationships and reducing reliance on major powers like the United States and China, stressing the need for enhanced cooperation among emerging economies.
He noted that the trade volume between Brazil and India should be between 30 and 40 billion dollars, given the size and economic strength of both countries, calling for trade settlements in their local currencies instead of the US dollar.
The Brazilian president added: "This is not fantasy, and it is not something that happens overnight, but we need to start thinking about it," calling for more coordination and discussion.
Lula also denied any discussion within the "BRICS" group - which includes countries such as Brazil and India - about launching a unified currency, asserting that there is "no talk of a BRICS currency."
Trump had stated last year that the group was established to harm the United States and undermine the role of the dollar as a global reserve currency, threatening to impose additional tariffs on imports from its countries if they proceeded in this direction.
