‘I have more bombs’ - Lula recalls Trump’s response to military escalation in Latin America: Video
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has revealed that he pressed US President Donald Trump to pursue dialogue rather than military action in the ongoing Caribbean conflict, recounting details of a phone call between the two leaders earlier this month.
Speaking during a Federative Caravan event in Belo Horizonte on Thursday, December 11, Lula said he urged Trump to avoid escalating tensions in Latin America, stressing the region’s commitment to peace.
“I told Trump, ‘We don’t want a war in Latin America, we are a zone of peace.’ And he replied: ‘But I have some weapons, I have more navy, I have more bombs!’” Lula said.
Lula recounted telling Trump that diplomacy should take precedence over force. “I believe more in the power of the word than in the power of weapons,” he said. “Let us try to use dialogue as a tool of persuasion so we can do things right.”
The Brazilian president linked the rising tensions between Washington and Caracas to what he described as a broader global shift toward division. He warned of “fragmentation” and “a destruction of democracy,” accusing the United States of undermining international cooperation.
“There is an attempt to end multilateralism, which sustained peace in the world since World War II, in favour of the unilateralism President Trump wants—where the strongest determines what the others are going to do,” Lula said.
The call between Lula and Trump took place on December 2, during which the two leaders also discussed tariffs, cooperation against organised crime, and instability in Latin America amid strained relations driven by US sanctions on Brazil.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
