US President Donald Trump has launched a major military deployment in the Caribbean for anti-drug operations that have already caused dozens of deaths.
Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, accused by Trump of leading a drug cartel, insists Washington's true aim is to "impose regime change" in Caracas and seize Venezuela's oil.
"I don't want us to reach the point of a US ground invasion of Venezuela," Lula told international news agencies, including AFP.
"I told President Trump...that political problems are not solved with weapons -- they are solved through dialogue," he added.
The 80-year-old leader, who is in Belem to chair the COP30 climate summit on Thursday and Friday, said the United States could "try to help" countries in their fight against drug trafficking "instead of trying to shoot at them."
Lula said the issue would be discussed at a summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), scheduled for November 9-10 in the Colombian city of Santa Marta.
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