Overview
- Brazil confirmed Lula’s trip to Santa Marta after he said the summit is meaningless if it ignores U.S. warships in Caribbean waters.
- The final declaration is expected to be contested as Latin American delegations seek a reference to U.S. military activity and Europeans push to condemn Russia’s attacks on Ukraine.
- Brasília finalized a proposal to insert the ‘segurança cidadã’ framework into the Santa Marta text, emphasizing prevention, human rights and coordinated policing.
- U.S. officials have expanded operations in the Caribbean, including actions against Venezuelan vessels described as anti-narcotics, which Brazilian officials view as a sovereignty concern.
- Washington is pressing Brazil to label the PCC and CV as terrorist organizations, but the government cites Brazilian law to reject that equivalence and notes a domestic bill on the issue is under debate, with analysts warning U.S. tariff and sanctions talks could be affected.