Venezuela criticizes Brazil’s veto of its BRICS entry: ‘Hostile gesture’

Brasil de Fato

On Thursday (24), the Venezuelan government criticized Brazil’s veto of its BRICS entry. In a statement, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry called the decision “hostile” and said the action added to the “criminal policy of sanctions.” The statement was published at the end of the BRICS summit held in Kazan, Russia, between October 22 and 24.   

In the text, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry stated that the Itamaraty representation in the bloc, led by diplomat Eduardo Paes Saboia, upheld the same sort of veto that former President Jair Bolsonaro had imposed on the country for years. According to the note, this measure perpetuates the “hatred, exclusion, and intolerance” that have been directed against Venezuelans over the past decade by the “great centers of power”. 

“The Venezuelan people feel indignation and shame at this inexplicable and immoral aggression by Itamaraty, maintaining the worst of Jair Bolsonaro’s policies against the Bolivarian Revolution founded by Commander Hugo Chávez,” the statement said.  

In the letter, the Venezuelan government also thanks Russian President Vladimir Putin for inviting the country to the summit in Kazan and says that “no maneuver or trick will stop the course of history”.   

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro formalized his request to join BRICS in May 2024. Diplomatic sources heard by Brasil de Fato said that Brazil resisted Venezuela joining the group of BRICS partners during the negotiations prior to the summit.   

At the end of the summit, 13 countries were invited to join the association as “partner states”: Turkey, Indonesia, Algeria, Belarus, Cuba, Bolivia, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Uganda. Venezuela was left out.   

During the summit, Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira announced that the leading BRICS countries had reached a consensus on the “criteria and principles” for the bloc’s future expansion. He confirmed that there was agreement on the “principles and criteria that will guide this expansion.” 

Vladimir Putin exposed the disagreement between Brazil and Russia over Venezuela’s entry into the BRICS. According to him, there are differences between the two countries’ positions since Moscow recognizes the legitimacy of Nicolás Maduro after the South American country’s presidential elections. According to Putin, this was discussed with President Lula over the phone, and any group membership is only possible with the consent of all the participants in the association. 

Brazil’s veto is due to its refusal to publicly recognize the election results in the neighboring country. The election, held on July 28, declared Nicolás Maduro the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE, in Spanish). However, the far-right opposition disputes the result, claiming to have collected more than 80% of the electoral minutes, which they say would guarantee victory for the former Plataforma Unitaria candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. 

But the group has not presented these copies to the Venezuelan courts. Over the past three months, Lula has commented on the Venezuelan elections. He stated that neither the government nor the opposition has presented reliable results, demanded that the CNE publish the results, and even suggested new elections.