Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva received a phone call from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday afternoon (Jan. 8). According to the Planalto  presidential palace, the two leaders exchanged views on the situation in Venezuela and its impact on the region.

“Both condemned the use of force without support from the United Nations Charter and international law. Lula stressed that the fate of Venezuela must be decided sovereignly by its people and that South America must remain a zone of peace,” the Planalto said in a statement.

According to the note, the president and prime minister agreed on the need to reform global governance institutions.

Last Saturday (3), a military invasion by the US resulted in the kidnapping of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cília Flores.

During the call, the Canadian accepted Lula’s invitation to visit Brazil in April. Among the topics to be discussed is the progress of a possible trade deal between Mercosur and Canada.

Earlier, President Lula also spoke by phone with Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Mexico

In his conversation with the Mexican leader, Lula also addressed the issue of Venezuela, and both defended multilateralism, repudiated the US military invasion, and challenged the view that attempts to divide the world into spheres of influence of major powers. Lula and Sheinbaum also discussed preparations for a visit by the Mexican leader to Brazil, with no date set yet, and cooperation between the countries in combating violence against women.