In a telephone conversation initiated by the Brazilian side this January 14, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, focused their dialogue on the situation in Venezuela following the recent US military invasion and the kidnapping of that country's president, Nicolás Maduro Moros, and first lady Cilia Flores.

According to the official Kremlin communiqué, both leaders "exchanged views on current international issues, with special attention to the situation regarding Venezuela." They noted that Russia and Brazil share "fundamental approaches to ensuring the state sovereignty and national interests of the Bolivarian Republic." They agreed to continue coordinating efforts, "including within the UN and through BRICS, to reduce tension in Latin America and other regions."

Lula, who had previously strongly condemned the US action, calling it a "flagrant violation of international law" and an "extremely dangerous precedent," found a significant ally in Putin for his stance. Russia, along with China and other countries, has demanded the immediate release of Maduro and Flores, insisting that Venezuela must be guaranteed the right to decide its own destiny without external interventions.

In recent weeks, the Brazilian president has addressed the issue with leaders worldwide, including Venezuela's new acting president, Delcy Rodríguez. Some of the contacts he made for this purpose were with the presidents of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, and Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney.

The call goes beyond the immediate Venezuelan context. The presidents also discussed in detail the development of bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas, in the context of the upcoming meeting of the Russia-Brazil High-Level Commission scheduled for February 2026.