Editing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (section)

==== Venezuela ====
Lula was close with [[Venezuela]]'s president [[Hugo Chávez]], a close ally of Communist Cuba and an antagonist of the United States.<ref name="auto8">Terrence McCoy and Marina Dias (20 May 2023). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/30/lula-maduro/ "Brazil's Lula promised to save democracy. Why is he embracing Maduro?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530221752/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/30/lula-maduro/ |date=30 May 2023 }} ''The Washington Post''.</ref><ref name="auto9">{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-venezuela/brazils-lula-defends-chavez-as-referendum-nears-idUSN2536376520071125/|title=Brazil's Lula defends Chavez as referendum nears|website=Reuters|date=25 November 2007|access-date=25 February 2024|archive-date=26 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726210734/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-brazil-venezuela/brazils-lula-defends-chavez-as-referendum-nears-idUSN2536376520071125|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2007, Lula defended Chávez as the democratic choice of his people.<ref name="auto9"/> He said: "There is no risk with Chávez."<ref name="auto9"/> Expressing his admiration for Chávez, he said "Only thanks to Chávez's leadership, the people [of Venezuela] have had extraordinary achievements," and that in 2008 that Chávez was "the best president the country has had in 100 years."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/474c851c-6a32-3e98-ac08-8e17a458463a|title=x|website=The Financial Times|access-date=25 February 2024|archive-date=7 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907111941/https://www.ft.com/content/474c851c-6a32-3e98-ac08-8e17a458463a|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in 2010 Brazilians largely had a different view than Lula, as only 13% had at least some confidence in Chávez, while 70% had little or no confidence in him.<ref name="auto10"/>