President Lula offered to mediate Venezuela's

President Lula offered to mediate Venezuela’s

Rio de Janeiro (dpa) — In light of the tensions between Washington and Caracas, Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is planning a phone call with US President Donald Trump before Christmas.

Lula said on Thursday he wants to prevent a war on the American continent. He said he would ask Trump how Brazil could contribute to a diplomatic solution to the crisis.

Lula told journalists in Brasília that he had been able to build a good relationship with Trump after initial differences.

“Trump has become my friend, a bit of small talk. Two men aged 80 have no reason to argue,” said Lula.

The conflict between the US and Venezuela is escalating. However, Lula said that he does not fully understand what is behind it. The Brazilian head of state had already spoken with Trump and the Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in recent weeks.

“Every day there are new threats in the newspapers, and we are concerned,” said Lula.

“No one says specifically why this war needs to be fought. I don’t know if it’s about oil or rare minerals. No one reveals what they want,” said Lula.

On Tuesday, Trump announced a complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers on their way to and from Venezuela.

Due to the growing pressure from the US, Venezuela has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.

The US had recently gathered forces in the Caribbean. US forces have also frequently targeted speedboats allegedly used by drug traffickers in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in dozens of deaths.