Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Nicolas Maduro should be tried in Venezuela, not abroad, and emphasized restoring Venezuelan democracy as a priority. Lula condemned the precedent of one head of state being captured by another and said he will propose that Brazilians accused in the U.S. be tried at home. He plans to raise organized crime, drug trafficking and rare earths with U.S. President Donald Trump and urged deeper trade ties with India, aiming for $30–40 billion in commerce and exploring local-currency settlements.
Lula Says Maduro Should Be Tried in Venezuela, Not Abroad — Seeks Talks With Trump and Boosted Trade With India
Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva attends an event in Brasilia, Brazil, February 11, 2026. REUTERS/Mateus Bonomi
BRASILIA, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Friday that deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro should be prosecuted in Venezuela rather than in another country, urging a focus on restoring democracy in his neighbor to the north.
Maduro was seized in Caracas earlier this year by U.S. forces and taken to New York, where U.S. authorities accuse him of running a cocaine-trafficking operation in coordination with international drug cartels. Lula said such cases should be handled at home where possible.
"What matters now is to re-establish democracy in Venezuela — that's the most important thing. And I believe that if Maduro has to be tried, he has to be tried in his country, not abroad," Lula told India Today TV while attending the country's artificial intelligence summit.
According to the English translation provided by the Indian broadcaster, Lula added that Brazil cannot accept the precedent of one head of state being captured by another.
Talks With Trump
Lula said Brazilian nationals accused of crimes who are living in the United States should, in principle, be tried in Brazil, and that he intends to submit a written proposal to U.S. President Donald Trump on the matter. He also said he wants to discuss organized crime, drug trafficking and rare earth minerals with Trump, whom he expects to meet in Washington next month.
Brazil, which shares a long border with Venezuela to the south, plays a significant diplomatic role in South America. Lula noted that his relationship with Trump has warmed since last year, after tensions over tariffs the U.S. imposed on Brazilian goods linked to Brazil's treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who has since been jailed on charges of plotting a coup following his 2022 election loss.
Trade Relations
Lula urged Brazil to diversify its trading partners and reduce overreliance on major powers such as the United States and China. He pushed for stronger ties with emerging economies and singled out India as a priority partner.
"We need to get to $30–40 billion of trade with India because of the size of our countries and the economy," he said, calling on Brazil and India to explore settling trade in their own currencies rather than defaulting to the U.S. dollar. Lula described this as a long-term goal that requires coordination and careful planning.
He also rejected suggestions that BRICS — the bloc that includes Brazil and India — is planning a single shared currency. "There is no debate within BRICS about creating a new currency, the BRICS currency," Lula said.
Trump had earlier accused BRICS of aiming to challenge the United States and the dollar's role as the global reserve currency, warning of steeper tariffs on imports from member countries to counter such efforts.
(Reporting by Lisandra Paraguassu in Brasilia; Additional reporting and writing by Isabel Teles in Sao Paulo; Editing by Philippa Fletcher and David Holmes)
Help us improve.
