Editing Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (section)

=====Venezuela=====

[[File:29.05.2023 - Visita Oficial do Presidente da República Bolivariana da Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro (52936060538).jpg|thumb|Lula meeting with Venezuelan President [[Nicolás Maduro]], May 2023]]
Lula restored diplomatic ties that Brazil had cut off with Venezuela's [[Nicolas Maduro]] government after 2018 elections that had been [[Venezuelan presidential crisis|condemned by critics as a sham]]. In March 2023, Lula refused to join 54 other nations and sign a United Nations declaration criticizing Venezuela's human rights abuses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/2023/04/21/could-the-west-fall-out-of-love-with-lula-because-of-brazils-foreign-policy|title=Could the West fall out of love with Lula?|date=21 April 2023|website=euronews}}</ref> In May 2023 Lula met with Maduro in Brazil.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/05/30/lula-and-maduro-launch-new-era-in-brazil-venezuela-ties_6028441_4.html|title=Lula and Maduro launch 'new era' in Brazil-Venezuela ties|date=30 May 2023|work=Le Monde}}</ref>

In May 2023, Lula warmly embraced and fully supported Venezuela's authoritarian leftist President Nicolás Maduro.<ref name="auto7">{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/lula-maduro-brazil-unasur-regional-summit-6e528b8f0894d48900d344b917534352|title=Brazilian president's support of Venezuela's leader mars unity at South America summit|date=31 May 2023|website=AP News|first1=Carla|last1=Bridi|first2=Diane|last2=Jeantet|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref>  Lula dismissed charges against Maduro of [[human rights]] and [[civil rights]] abuses as a political "constructed narrative."<ref name="auto8"/>  Lula was criticized by Uruguay's President [[Luis Lacalle Pou]], who said that the "worst thing we can do" is pretend there are no significant human rights problems in Venezuela, and by Chile's President [[Gabriel Boric]], who said that Lula was making light of [[Human rights in Venezuela|human rights violations in Venezuela]].<ref name="auto7"/> Lula also criticized as "unjustified" [[Sanctions during the Venezuelan crisis|U.S. sanctions on Venezuela]] for its alleged human rights abuses, and criticized the United States for denying the legitimacy of Maduro, who the U.S. said had not allowed free elections.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuelas-maduro-meets-lula-first-visit-brazil-since-2015-2023-05-29/|title=Maduro and Lula hit out at US sanctions on Venezuela |publisher=Reuters|date=29 May 2023|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/venezuela-sanctions-brazils-president-lula-condemns-us-measures-and-hints-at-currency-to-challenge-dollar-12892990|title=Venezuela sanctions: Brazil's President Lula condemns US measures and hints at currency to challenge dollar|website=Sky News|date=30 May 2023|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-65750537|title=Lula welcomes back banned Venezuelan leader Maduro|date=29 May 2023|work=BBC|first1=Will|last1=Grant|first2=Jaroslav|last2=Lukiv|access-date=13 March 2024}}</ref>