Brazil’s defense minister sees no reason to allow the United States to set up a military base in the country, an idea that President Jair Bolsonaro has said he is open to, Trend reports referring to Reuters.
General Fernando Azevedo told the Tuesday edition of Valor Economico the matter “is complex” and he had not yet discussed it with Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro, who took office on Jan. 1, said in a television interview two days later he might be willing to allow a U.S. base in Brazil as a way to counter Russian influence in Venezuela, a move that would mark a sharp shift in direction for Brazilian foreign policy.
A senior army officer told Reuters the military was against the idea.
Azevedo said in the interview, conducted on Friday, that Bolsonaro had yet to set out his plans with the Defense Ministry, the part of the government that he said would oversee any such move.
The Folha de S.Paulo newspaper on Tuesday reported that Bolsonaro had backtracked on the idea, citing anonymous sources.