Title: Venezuela Eyes "BRICS"

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday that he would propose for the South American continent as a region to demand that the United States lift the sanctions imposed on his country. Maduro's statement came after a bilateral meeting he held in Brazil with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who described the U.S. sanctions as "excessively exaggerated," as regional leaders prepare to meet in Brasília for a summit to be held later this week. The Venezuelan president confirmed that his country wants to be part of the BRICS group, which consists of prominent emerging countries, and Lula da Silva stated that he would personally support any request from Venezuela to join the group. BRICS includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.