Relationship dossier
Brazil
Venezuela
Relationship assessment
Bilateral engagement and regional cooperation coexist with recurring political disputes and periods of diplomatic rupture.
Brazil toward Venezuela
+5Brazil supported Venezuela’s accession to Mercosur in 2012 and, under President Lula, restored high-level engagement with Nicolás Maduro’s government in 2023. Under President Bolsonaro, Brazil recognized Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president in January 2019. After Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, Brazil called for detailed results, adding friction to the relationship.
Venezuela toward Brazil
0Venezuela participated in regional and bilateral engagement with Brazil, including renewed high-level contacts with President Lula in 2023. The Maduro government’s conduct around the 2024 election results became a source of friction with Brazil, which sought publication of detailed results. The scope of Venezuelan government cooperation with Brazil is not fully clear.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship has a durable basis in bilateral engagement and regional integration, including Brazilian support for Venezuela’s Mercosur accession. Its course has nevertheless been strongly affected by changes in Brazil’s government and disputes over Venezuela’s political legitimacy and election results, producing both renewed engagement and periods of rupture.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Brazil–Venezuela relations have included substantial bilateral engagement and regional cooperation, alongside sharp political ruptures. Brazil supported Venezuela’s entry into Mercosur and later restored high-level engagement under President Lula. Relations deteriorated under Jair Bolsonaro, who recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president. More recently, Brazil pressed for publication of detailed results after Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, creating renewed friction.
Areas of tension
- Brazil’s recognition of Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president under Jair Bolsonaro.
- Brazil’s demand for detailed presidential election results after Venezuela’s 2024 election.
Key developments
Brazil supported Venezuela’s accession to Mercosur.
Brazil recognized Juan Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva met Nicolás Maduro as high-level bilateral engagement resumed.
Following Venezuela’s presidential election, Brazil called for publication of detailed results.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral cooperation following the restoration of high-level engagement are unclear.
- The future course of Brazilian policy toward Venezuela’s government after the 2024 election dispute remains uncertain.
- The extent of Venezuelan government cooperation with Brazil on border and regional matters is unclear.